Into The Depths of Time
by FanFicGuru
Summary: X and Zero discover their enemies in the flow of time, and run into some old legends...discovering more about themselves and the heroics of the legends of old.
1. Old Legends, New Heroes

Megaman ran quickly after the assailant...   
"Come back here SparkMan!!" He was in a rage...SparkMan had just killed a very important Japanese diplomat...a diplomat that Megaman was in charge of protecting.   
Sparkman turned and smiled firing three blasts of electricity at Megaman   
Megaman slid under the first one, leaped over the next and as he strafed to the left to avoid the last one it slightly damaged his right arm.   
~No matter...~ he thought to himself as he charged up his Buster Shot and fired a huge blast under Sparkman's feet, Sparkman went flying and crashed roughly on the concrete below.   
Megaman ran faster now to catch up and jumped, landing on Sparkman's back he held out his buster cannon towards SparkMan's head.   
"Don't even think about moving..." Megaman said with a huff...thanks to Sparkman now everyone would start doubting their security, even with Megaman around.   
The rest of the police were coming just when suddenly, in front of Megaman, a portal opened up.   
~What the hell?~ he thought to himself as he took a step back, getting off of sparkman.   
Suddenly a massive plasma blast came out of the portal towards where Megaman was and he quickly jumped out of the way...forgetting that there were people behind him. He watched helplessly as the blast tore through the air and exploded near the Police and other officials.   
Quickly Megaman looked back to the portal. A tall dark figure stood in the middle of it, with a over a dozen more shadowy figures behind it.   
Megaman saw the figure aiming his arm again, which looked surprisingly like his, and in return Megaman charged up his Buster Cannon and fired it full blast at the stranger.   
What happened next scared Megaman to the core.   
The blast hit the figure, but did nothing. It simply exploded on his armor.   
He saw a smile through the darkness as another huge blast was on its way....he decided to go for broke as he fired a Buster Cannon shot into the oncoming energy and it exploded in mid-air.   
After the dust cleared the figures had stepped out of their portal.   
"My my my...he certainly is small isn't he..?" The tallest one said...   
"Yeah well...certainly nowhere near the real mckoy." A well built purple Maverick responded.   
Megaman looked over these figures. They were gigantic. They all looked like robot masters that he'd fought before..but they were over twice as big as the originals.   
He didn't like the look of it at all...   
~Who the hell are these guys anyway?~ he thought to himself...~Certainly not wily's cronies...they look too advanced...~   
"Sigma!" the purple maverick called out.   
"What is it...?" Suddenly, a tall man stepped forward. He looked unlike any other warrior Megaman had ever seen. On his side he had a saber and wore a long magnificent cloak around his neck. His armor was incredible and decorated with badges and honors. His full blue eyes looked down at megaman as he smiled an empty, dark smile.   
"Well boys...that's him all right. The legendary Megaman..." he began to chuckle as the rest of his followers laughed out loud and slowly began to walk towards him as one body of evil.   
*   
"I don't get it..." X said quietly.   
"What don't you get?" Zero asked, practicing some moves with his Z-saber.   
"Sigma's forces have been inactive for a full 72 hours. Not so much as a broken window has been reported." X puzzled to himself, in such times as these the Mavericks being silent for 12 hours was something to think about.   
"Maybe he's just taking a break from all the ass-whoopings we've given him lately." Zero smiled to himself.   
"No... its not that at all. Something's not right...I can feel it."   
Zero looked at X...he was genuinely worried about something...but what could Sigma possibly be doing?   
Megaman looked around at the now 14 fully visible robots that had stepped out of that portal. Bringing up his buster cannon doubtfully he began to calculate the probability of success and was not pleased with the outcome at all...only one thing he could do.   
"RUSH!!!" he yelled out as his faithful companion came blasting in from nowhere.   
"Rush! Back to the lab!" as Rush's engines kicked into full gear and they sped towards Dr. Light's labs...   
~Surely Dr. Light will know who these creatures are...and how to get rid of them.~ he convinced himself as he rode on Rush's back.   
*   
Suddenly a reploid worker ran into the room.   
"X! Zero! We have a strange energy reading in the surveillance room!" he shouted.   
X and Zero turned to the worker and nodded.   
"I told you that something was going to happen..." X said.   
"Right..." Zero agreed as they both followed the worker back to the surveillance room.   
  
Signas was already standing there looking at the readings when X and Zero came in. They saluted.   
"Morning Sir!" X said.   
Signas saluted with very little enthusiasm as he handed them both the report and turned back to the screen.   
"I don't like this one bit X...not one bit at all." Signas said with great concern.   
X read the data files...the number patterns and codes encrypted suggested a time alteration of some sort...   
"Is this what I think it is?" Zero inquired.   
Signas nodded solemnly.   
"Crap..." Zero said as he turned back to finish reading the data sheet.   
"Time travel? That's a first..." X said with a slight note of happiness...   
"After all, if its the first time maybe they died during the travel process."   
Signas shook his head and turned back to X and Zero.   
"They made it back X...and they plan on killing Dr. Light."   
X's face instantly turned stone cold as he staggered back a few steps and leaned against the wall.   
"Yes...you know that if they succeed the paradox will be catastrophic...if they could get to Light at the same time they might just..."   
"Well...is there anything we can do?" Zero said with a punch of enthusiasm.   
"We do have means of getting you back in time, but you only have a week...after that we can not safely pull you back into this time." Signas said with a cautionary tone.   
"We'll do it! Won't we X?" as Zero turned to his battle partner and gave him an assuring thumbs up, X recovered from the initial shock and stood, nodding to signas.   
"Show us to the time machine." X demanded.   
Signas lead them down a dark hallway to a secluded elevator. After putting in an intricate code, a voice confirmation and retinal scan, the doors opened and they went down to the lowest floor in the Hunters HQ. The doors opened as a massive lab was revealed to them.   
"I know, even you two haven't seen this part of the Hunters HQ because it was thought unnecessary. Down here is where we develop the newest weapons and advances for the rest of the human race."   
They approached a large door...and signas took out his security clearence card and swiped it, after another retinal and voice confirmation the doors opened revealing a large dome-like contraption.   
"You will enter the dome and we will input the date to which Sigma and his followers went..."   
"Followers?" X asked.   
"How many does he have with him?!" Zero demanded.   
"He has 13 others with him..." Signas said with a sigh.   
X and Zero looked to each other...it was too late to turn back now.   
"Let's go...hurry up Signas!" X ordered as they stepped into the dome and turned around, facing Signas and the other scientists they closed their eyes as Signas activated the device...all around them electricity shot everywhere as energy drew in and they dissappeared in a flash.   
Megaman flew towards Dr. Light's hideout...   
~Who the hell are those freaks?~ he thought to himself...   
~I hope the Dr. can figure out what they want...and maybe how to get rid of them....~   
Rush landed outside of the lab as Megaman jumped off and ran in...Rush transforming back into his playful dog mode he followed megaman as he sped down the hallways towards Dr. Light's office.   
He passed by his "Sister's" room as Roll looked out her door to see Megaman running by.   
~I wonder what all the commotion's about...?~ she thought.   
*   
Sigma smiled and turned to his troop.   
"Listen men, I want groups A and C to remain here and find an appropriate building to take over and make our HQ...group B will come with me to the good Dotor's lab. Understood?"   
The team of 12 became 3 groups of 4 as 8 of them took a few steps back and 4 of them stepped up to Sigma.   
Sigma turned to Vile   
"You make sure the two HQ teams get the job done understand?" He said.   
Vile nodded silently.   
Sigma turned to where Megaman flew off to and took chase on foot...usually this would be a foolish thing but Sigma and all his followers could run over 80 MPH...Sigma smiled.   
~He won't know what happened...he'll be gone before he could even think about retaliating!~ Sigma chuckled to himself.   
~Oh the genius of it all...I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner!~   
Sigma and the others sped towards the base...seeing it grow closer as they came over a rolling green hill they made their final march towards the base.   
*   
X and Zero were surrounded by a flash of bright white light as they flashed through over a century of activities and milestones...suddenly the light died down and they stepped out of the portal in the middle of a lush green field.   
Zero looked at his locator on his left arm...   
"Sigma and 4 other mavericks are about..." Zero turned around   
"10 miles that way..." The locator signaled again as Zero turned to his right and pointed.   
"And over there, 8 mavericks...and Vile?!" Zero exclaimed.   
"Vile?" X said with astonishment.   
"No matter," Zero said with determination "We need to go and stop the attack at Dr. Light's lab right now!"   
X and Zero ran towards the lab at top speed...hoping that they weren't too late.   
*   
Megaman heard them coming...as he looked to Dr. Light   
"Amazing..." Dr. Light said.   
"Well? Do you know what they are Doc?" Megaman asked desperately.   
Dr. Light nodded slowly.   
"These...beings...are far more advanced robots than anything the world is close to at the moment. Their power, ability to make decisions, everything...its all at a much higher level than yours, or any of the robot masters you've faced."   
Megaman stepped back slowly in denial...   
"Can...you stop them?" He asked with the greatest amount of hope imaginable.   
Light closed his eyes and shook his head slowly...the trampling of the monsters growing closer Megaman grew worried...he knew that he couldn't stop these monsters, yet at the same time wanted to protect Dr. Light.   
"RUSH!" he yelled. "JET MODE!" Rush transformed as Mega Man went and opened the roof.   
"Doctor, you ride rush out of here, go to Cossack's lab and wait there...I'll meet you as soon as I can..." he looked to Roll.   
"You go with him too..."   
Roll shook her head violently as the trampling grew closer.   
"I can't leave you here alone Megaman! Who knows what those monsters will do to you!" she cried.   
Megaman picked her up and handed her to Dr. Light.   
"You have no choice! GO!" Rush took off as Roll turned back and yelled...   
"MEGAMAN!!!"   
Megaman turned and faced the oncoming monsters...knowing that this was most likely the last battle he'd ever face.   
Zero and X got a visual of Dr. Light's lab.   
"Oh no!" X yelled as he saw the 5 tall figures stampeding into the labs.   
"Quick X...let's go!" Zero demanded as he ran towards the lab.   
Zero leaped as high as he could and front flipped. He saw an opening in the roof.   
"What a stroke of luck!" he exclaimed.   
"Hey X! Come on! We can get in through the roof!"   
X nodded and jumped as high as he could, Air dashing he front flipped in the air, lining himself up with the hole.   
*   
Megaman saw the figures had slowed to a walk. 5 tall menacing figures as he aimed his buster cannon.   
"Please..." the one in the front said with a mocking tone.   
"Its a waste of your energy." As the five stepped into the light.   
"Who are you?!" Megaman demanded.   
"Me?" the one in the front asked innocently.   
"Oh yes..where are my manners?" he chuckled.   
"I am Sigma...and these are my men...well, four of them."   
The four lined up next to Sigma as he pointed them out and introduced them.   
"This is Boomer Kuwanger...Sting Chameleon...Frost Walrus and Launch Octopus."   
The four hissed as they were introduced.   
"This is the first one huh?" Sting asked with a hiss.   
"He looks really puny." Frost Walrus grunted.   
"Certainly no fun for us now is it?" Boomer whined.   
"Maybe we can even the score!" a familiar voice yelled as they dropped down from the ceiling.   
  
Suddenly Megaman turned around.   
"PROTOMAN! BASS!"   
Protoman stood and smirked...looking over to Bass, who simply frowned as he turned to Megaman.   
"You're so weak...I saw two other guys up there who are ready to come in any moment now..."   
"Two others?" Megaman thought.   
Protoman turned to megaman "Yeah...who are those guys? One of them's a tall red robot...and he has a funny looking sword. The other one looks like a taller version of you...they some of Dr. Light's newer creations or something?   
Megaman shook his head and then looked to the 5 in front of him, who suddenly became very anxious.   
*   
~That one looked awfully familiar...~ Bass thought. Recalling the red figure flying through the air...   
*   
"They're here?!" Launch asked with amazement.   
"How could they have found us here?" Sigma thought out loud.   
Suddenly Megaman found out who they were talking about as a tall red figure and a tall blue figure landed in front of himself, protoman and bass.   
*   
X landed on one knee next to Zero as he stood, staring down Sigma, Boomer Kuwanger, Launch Octopus, Sting Chameleon and Frost Walrus.   
He turned slightly to the three legends behind him and was amazed at the resemblance between the old megaman and himself.   
"Hey, X! Yoo-hoo?" Zero said with a little worry.   
"We're not exactly on vacation here." he said as X came back from his look alike thoughts.   
X nodded and turned back to Sigma.   
"We know all about what you're planning out here Sigma! Why did you bother coming back in time to have us kick your ass? We could've done that in our own time!"   
*   
Megaman gasped as the tall blue figure began speaking of times...he had a feeling something wasn't right about these guys and that they were most likely from another time.   
"I knew it..." he said to himself.   
Protoman and Bass looked at each other and then back to Megaman before turning their attention back to the main event in front of them.   
*   
Sigma laughed   
"Always the charmer aren't you X?" he said with a snicker.   
"Its 5 on 2...you really think you can win?" Boomer said with a smug tone.   
*   
Protoman and Bass looked at each other...   
"Hey, we're here too you overgrown freaks! Its 5 on 5!"   
Bass yelled as he pointed his buster towards the green lizard.   
"Yeah...I don't know what you think you're doing here, but we're going to get you out!" Protoman smiled as he aimed his buster for the fat walrus.   
Megaman smiled, glad his friends were there to support him as he took aim at the Octopus.   
Both he and protoman started to charge their cannons, and to megaman's surprise...so did Bass.   
"Yeah...I paid cossack a visit...he had a buster power up for me..." Bass said as if it were no big deal.   
Megaman smiled and took aim again.   
*   
Zero and X looked back to the three and smiled.   
"It looks like they have the right idea..." Zero said with a chuckle as they lined up with the three pint sized warriors and charged their own busters, the X and Z busters.   
"On my command!" X said...the others nodded.   
*   
Sigma looked to his other warriors..surely the smaller three wouldn't be a problem...would they? He didn't know what to expect and didn't have time to think about it before X fired...triggering a hellish chain reaction.   
  
The five searing blasts of energy screamed through the air as it hurled towards Sigma and his four comrades.   
"Damn! Move no..." Sigma began to say as the blasts exploded just a few inches in front of their faces.   
The five mavericks went flying out of the labs with incredible force, 3 of them instantaneously destroyed. Sigma looked over to see that the only one left with him was Sting Chameleon and that he was badly damaged.   
"Sting! We need to get back to the city...surely the two other teams have fortified a HQ by now..."   
Sigma turned back with a low growl to the five heroes standing in the doorway.   
"You will regret this day! This I swear on my fallen comrades!"   
Sigma turned and took off running with Sting Chameleon as Zero, X, Protoman, Bass and Megaman all stood with their busters charged and aimed at Sigma.   
*   
"That turned out much better than I could have hoped." X said with a smile.   
"Yeah...you certainly are as strong as we heard." Zero said as he turned to Protoman, Bass and Megaman.   
Megaman and Protoman looked at each other, and then to Bass, before turning back to the warriors from the future.   
"So who are you guys anyway?" Bass asked with a tone of impatience.   
"My name is X..." he replied...as he looked to Zero.   
"And I'm Zero...its an honor to meet you." He said, a dumb smile on his face.   
Bass looked to Megaman.   
"Are these guys Light's? Or Cossack's?" He asked curiously.   
Megaman shook his head.   
"They're neither, I think they came from the future...like those other freaks."   
Protoman looked back to X and Zero, surely noticing their distinct differences physically as well as their superior intellectual programming.   
"So you're from the future huh?" Protoman said with a tinge of fear.   
X nodded.   
"Who made you guys anyway?" Bass said...the questions now starting to sound like those of young children.   
X spoke first.   
"I was created by Dr. Light, just like Megaman, although my creation isn't going to be until years from now...I am his final robot...or reploid as we are called in the future."   
Zero sighed.   
"I'm not sure of my origins...I simply began to aide X in his fight against Sigma and we've been battle partners ever since."   
Megaman looked to X with awe...not believing that this creature would be created by his own Dr. Light.   
"Speaking of Dr. Light..." X said with some concern.   
"Where is he?"   
Megaman stepped forward.   
"I sent him to Dr. Cossack's lab...its not too far from here..."   
"Ok..." X said quietly.   
"Perhaps we should go and talk to this Cossack? He might have some tools to help us." Zero said.   
Megaman nodded.   
"You're right, if we're going to take on those freaks we should head over and see what Cossack has for us."   
Protoman smiled.   
"And see Kalinka too..." 


	2. Allies, Enemies and Adventures

Sigma and Sting raced back to the city where the two teams of remaining mavericks had set up a base.   
Vile was standing guard at the door as Sigma helped Sting get upstairs where the rest of the mavericks were waiting. They all fell silent as Sigma walked in, heavily damaged, and moved to the front of the room   
"My friends..." Sigma said with a ragged breath.   
"There have been complications..."   
Sigma went on to explain the loss of 3 of their maverick comrades and the evil people who had destroyed them.   
"There are five of them! You already know two of these worms from our own time, that blasted X and Zero!"   
The rest of the mavericks booed and taunted the names.   
"But there are 3 others, heroes in their own right in this time. They are known as Bass, Protoman...and Dr. Light's first robot creation...Megaman!"   
The mavericks hissed and booed again, the very sound of Megaman's name like a bad taste in their mouth.   
"I'll melt them down to scrap!" Magma Dragoon yelled in fury.   
"I'll tear them apart!" The Slash Beast exclaimed.   
"I'll fry their systems!" Spark Mandrill declared.   
The rest of the mavericks started hurling threats and insults.   
There were now only 9 mavericks left:   
Sting Chameleon, Magma Dragoon, Slash Beast, Spark Mandrill, Blizzard Wolfang, Blaze Heatnix, Shield Sheldon, Wheel Gator and Neon Tiger. As well as Vile and Sigma, that made 11. 11 out of the 14 that showed up just over an hour ago.   
~We're going to need some help...~ Sigma thought to himself, when suddenly he realized something.   
"Vile..." Sigma said to him softly.   
"Yes Sigma?" Vile asked him.   
"You will accompany me to Dr. Wily's lair. We shall inquire him of some aid for this mission..." he smiled.   
"I'm sure he'll be more than happy to oblige." Sigma said finally with a low, dark laugh.   
  
Wily was sitting quietly in his lab, going over his last humiliating defeat at the hands of Megaman and his pals...   
"Even that damn Megaman couldn't get through, neither Protoman...not even Bass! The plan was infallible!" He began to shout out loud until suddenly there was an explosion.   
"What's that?" He demanded as he looked to his monitors.   
There were two mechanical beings...one that was tall and wore pretty distinct armor...and another who was a little shorter and reminded Wily of a character from a really really old space movie.   
The tall one looked into the camera and spoke.   
"Dr. Wily? I know you can hear me so I suggest you open up and let us come in to talk to you...we have a proposition to make."   
Wily looked at these two strangers...they weren't your typical robots that was for sure...but were they Light's new creations?   
~No way...~ Wily thought.   
Even though Wily was insane he still was a genius and he could tell simply by looking at the make of the robot that it couldn't be Light's. It was far too advanced on different levels to be anything of his, Coassack's or Light's... so whose were they?   
"I would advise you to open the door now Wily...before I blast it open." The small purple one said.   
Wily got onto the intercom.   
"Very well...but answer me one thing first...who are you people?"   
Sigma smiled gently.   
"We're the answer to your prayers old man, so open the door."   
Wily growled and opened the door as Sigma and Vile stepped into his lair.   
*   
"We've got to do something!" X exclaimed.   
"Well..." Bass said carefully.   
"You are pretty strong...I think we could make it through Wily's lair with these guys along...what do you think Protoman?"   
Protoman looked over the two warriors.   
"Yes...they should do." he said in agreement   
Megaman thought for a moment...   
"We should probably head to Cossack's lab first...Wily didn't mention Kalinka so she could still be there and probably offer us some help." Megaman said.   
Protoman and Bass nodded while X and Zero looked at each other.   
"Well...I don't know..." X said slowly.   
Megaman turned and stared at X.   
"Why not?" He demanded...the other two looking at him with the same amount of annoyance.   
Zero was thinking the same thing as X so he explained.   
"Sigma isn't your typical bad guy ok? If we give him just an extra 10 minutes of time to execute his plots he can end up having a huge advantage...and we can't afford that." Zero said.   
"Well if we go to Cossack's then we can get powerups and thus help even out the score..." Protoman explained.   
"Yeah...we're not completely useless ya know..." Bass objected.   
X nodded silently.   
"Very well...but we must make it quick...and then locate Wily's base...where I have a feeling Sigma is hiding out..."   
The five heroes walked out of Dr. Light's lab slowly heading towards Cossack's lair.   
"Where is that thing?" Kalinka asked herself as she rummaged through her dad's old inventions.   
All of these "old" inventions could have easily won the nobel peace prize.   
"Check near the bottom..." Cossack called grufly   
She threw aside priceless machines and old weapons until she squealed with excitement.   
"AHA!" she exclaimed.   
She pulled out a large rifle and cocked it...aiming it at the wall.   
"Daddy's instant disintegration rifle X-1560...this should do nicely!" She fired a shot as the entire wall in front of her disintegrated, the ceiling caving in over where she shot the blast.   
"Perfect!" She said as she headed out the door and noticed five robots coming towards the lab...3 small ones and 2 taller ones. She took aim with the rifle and was about to pull the trigger when she heard a familiar voice.   
"KALINKA! ITS US!" Megaman shouted.   
"Oh god..." she said as she realized what she almost did.   
The five heroes got closer and finally stopped right in front of Kalinka.   
Kalinka looked up to X and Zero...surprised at their build and to be quite honest...their looks too.   
"He..hello..." Kalinka said...blushing.   
"Hello." X said with a warm smile.   
"Greetings..." Zero said...not really wanting to be sitting around like that.   
"Kalinka?" Megaman waved his hand in front of Kalinka's love struck eyes.   
"Helllooo?" snapping his fingers until Kalinka finally came back from that world of love.   
"Oh..uh sorry...what did you say?" Kalinka asked.   
Megaman sighed.   
"We need some upgraded armor and weapons... did your father have anything made for us?" Megaman asked.   
"Oh...upgrades...yeah..." Kalinka still staring at X.   
X shifted uncomfortably as he walked further into Cossack's lab.   
"Where would their new upgrades be?" X asked softly.   
"Uhhh...its uhhh..." Kalinka stuttered.   
"Oh for the love of god, I think I"m gonna be sick." Protoman said...feeling incredibly jealous of X...who was getting all of the attention that he wanted.   
"Please Kalinka...let's just get our upgrades..we have stuff to do!" Bass exclaimed impatiently.   
Kalinka shot a glare that, if they weren't robots, would have killed them instantly. Then she turned to a closet behind her and opened it shoving things aside...   
"DAD! WHERE IS THE BLASTER MODIFYING CHIP?" she yelled.   
Cossack grumbled.   
"Box on the left..."   
  
Kalinka dug back into the closet as she reached far into the back and found a small box. It said on it DO NOT TOUCH-INCLUDING KALINKA.   
She smiled and pulled it out.   
"I think what's in here is probably what you're looking for..." she said with confidence.   
She opened the small box and there were three small microchips in it.   
"Yup..." she picked one up gently.   
"These are daddy's latest cannon programs...it focuses on the cannon and offers your buster arms more resistance to energy internally so you can charge up bigger blasts and fire bigger blasts with your regular shots."   
The three small heroes smiled.   
"Now this is more like it..." Bass said with a smile as he opened his buster arm and gently put the microchip in.   
"Ah, yes...its been a while since I've had a buster upgrade..." Protoman says as he installs his microchip.   
X and Zero both look at their buster arms...   
"Doesn't look like we upgrade our busters that way..." X said like a dissappointed child.   
"Guess not..." Zero said.   
"Its ok guys, really...I saw your blasts and I'll bet they still are more poweful than ours...in fact I know they are." Megaman said.   
X and Zero smiled.   
"Now that we've gotten what we needed...how about we head to Wily's base? I have a feeling that your friends will be there too..." Megaman said cautiously.   
"Yeah...I wouldn't doubt it...Sigma seems to be very inviting to any other evil genius ready to take over the world...I'm sure he's offering Wily his men as we speak..." X said with a growl.   
  
*   
"I will offer you my men in exchange for your cooperation old man..." Sigma said spitefully.   
"That is, if you wish to live." he finished coldly.   
Wily grimaced and turned back to his computer.   
"What is it you want from me?" He demanded.   
"Simple Doctor...I want you to build me a warrior."   
Wily laughed.   
"Why didn't you tell me? I have dozens waiting right..." he began but Sigma cut him off.   
"No...not those damn toys...I want a real warrior...like the one you're working on in the bottom floor." Sigma smiled.   
"How did you know about that..." Wily asked in wonder.   
"I want you to finish him...and grant me complete control over him...understand?" Sigma demanded, while Vile held his massive cannon to Wily's head.   
"Fine...fine..." Wily said as he walked towards the elevator that lead to the bottom floor, where he was working on his most advanced project...   
Project ZERO.   
Protoman, Bass and Megaman all went over the layouts of Wily's base with X and Zero.   
"I believe we should all take a different route...no doubt that if we're all together that Wily will have a trap set up for all of us...if we come in from all directions he'll be overwhelmed."   
Protoman chuckled as Megaman spoke.   
"Yeah...Megaman is the expert at infiltrating Wily's base after all..." he said with a laugh.   
"Whatever happens we need to get in there to find out what Sigma is doing..." X said with a wave of determination.   
"There are entrances here...here and here." he said, pointing to each of them respectively. One from underneath, one straight down the middle and one from above.   
"X...you and Zero can take the straight forward road...seeing as how your strength could help you get through their easier..." Megaman stated.   
X and Zero nodded in agreement.   
"Protoman...you'll come with me from the top..." Megaman told him.   
"If you think so..." Protoman agreed reluctantly.   
"Bass, you're going solo...just like you prefer...through the bottom...make sure you keep Treble close."   
Bass scoffed.   
"Please...don't make me laugh. I know who and what I should do for this mission...I don't need advice from you."   
Megaman shrugged off the harsh comeback and stood.   
"Do you have any reason why Sigma might be offering help to Wily?"   
X shook his head.   
"Whatever it is...it will end up getting everyone hurt if we don't stop him...that's for sure."   
Megaman nodded and smiled. Then he turned to his friends behind him.   
"Come on guys! We're heading out!"   
Wily, Sigma and Vile went through layers and layers of defense walls and passcodes before finally arriving to his most secret laboratory sector. Inside a capsule in the center was just what Sigma expected...Zero.   
"Perfect...absolutely marvelous!" Sigma said.   
"Don't even think about waking him up! I haven't done all the tests...god knows what he'll do if you try to get him out."   
Sigma looked to Wily and smiled.   
"I have a feeling it'll be just fine..." he chuckled.   
"I can't! I won't let you interfere with my greatest invention ever!" Wily shouted.   
"I'm afraid you have no choice doctor...either cooperate or you can kiss your entire lab goodbye...including this experiment...understand?" Sigma stated coldly.   
Wily growled and mumbled under his breath.   
"Damn you...I hope the first thing he does is kill you..." Wily said with a growl as he went to the central control panel.   
Sigma turned back to the capsule.   
"My beautiful Zero...ready to come work for me?" Sigma asked as he began to laugh...his bellows echoing through the empty stillness of the labs...the toughest robot masters pulling back in fear of this hideous laughter...the laughter of a wild beast.   
*   
Five warriors walked slowly over the hill as Wily's base came into sight. Treble trailing behind Bass   
X and Zero stood on the ends while Protoman was on Megaman's right and Bass on Megaman's Left. They all stood silent for a moment before megaman said   
"That's it..."   
X looked at it...and sighed.   
"That's it?" He said with a touch of disconcertment.   
Megaman,Protoman and Bass all looked at X.   
"What do you mean 'That's It?' This base is the hardest building to enter in the world...a 100 man army couldn't get into this base...its designed to hold off up to 1000 people!" Bass shouted...getting angrier by the word.   
X looked to Zero...but Zero seemed to be off in a different world when looking at the base.   
"Zero? You ok?" X asked in concern.   
Zero shook his head and blinked a couple times.   
"Oh...sorry. What were you saying?"   
~That's odd...~ X thought.   
~Zero is usually in top shape during a mission...this isn't like him.~   
"Alright guys!" Megaman ordered.   
"Let's split up and get going!"   
Everyone nodded as X and Zero headed straight with Protoman and Megaman and Bass took off to the lower route.   
*   
~I can't believe that we're doing this again...with two weirdos from the future to boot...~ Protoman thought to himself as he ran alongside Megaman, X and Zero.   
He looked over to Zero...and then to X...before looking straight ahead again.   
~Something's fishy about them...I don't know what...but I plan on finding out!~ He told himself as he ran swiftly over the rocks.   
*   
~I can't believe this is all that they have to deal with...Sigma's base makes this look like breaking into a piggy bank.~ X smiled to himself as he looked over to Megaman and Protoman.   
~Then again, for this time this base is the most advanced laboratory on the planet...so they do deserve commendation~   
X smiled, the splitup point was approaching fast.   
*   
~What's Protoman looking at me for?~ Zero thought as he ran, he saw Protoman out of the corner of his eye looking at him like he was an alien.   
~Well, I guess in a way I am an alien...I do come from another world.~   
Or maybe he thought he was a monster...   
*a red monster*   
suddenly Zero slowed to a walk...stopping for a minute.   
"What are you doing Zero?" X asked.   
"A...red monster?" Zero asked in a daze.   
"What are you talking about? We need to move...NOW!" X commanded.   
Zero snapped out of it after X shouted the order to move.   
"Yeah...sorry."   
Zero ran after X...becoming more and more disturbed by what he was hearing in his head...the whispers that continued to haunt his dreams.   
*   
~This should work out perfectly...~ Megaman thought optimistically.   
~X and Zero can more than take care of any problems that show up on the main road as we attack from three different directions...Wily won't know what to do!~ Megaman smiled broadly.   
Suddenly he noticed that Zero had stopped running...he turned.   
From far away he heard Zero mutter   
"A...red monster?"   
Megaman felt a chill run up his spine...but why?   
After a moment Zero began running again...but Megaman was worried about what Zero had said.   
~What kind of evils are waiting for us in there?~   
  
Finally X,Zero,Protoman and Megaman stopped at the split up point.   
"This is it..." Megaman said...nodding towards the central path and then nodding towards the path to the higher entrance, where he and protoman would be heading.   
X and Zero nodded.   
"I'm sure Sigma's got something up his sleeve...you two be careful ok?" X said with concern.   
Megaman smiled and nodded, as did Protoman.   
"You watch out for yourselves too..." Megaman replied.   
X smiled as he motioned to Zero.   
"Let's go..." X said as they took off dashing down the central path.   
*   
Megaman and Protoman watched them dash off as they took running to the right, towards the higher road.   
"Incoming!" Protoman shouted as a few metools came strolling down the path and set up a defensive line, about 5 metools long and 5 metools wide...25 in all.   
"Let's do it!" Megaman shouted as he aimed and charged his buster cannon.   
"Yeah!" Protoman charged his as they waited for the moment to come, the moment of opportunity...   
The metools all shifted with predictable accuracy and the two warriors fired their massive plasma blasts as they tore through the metools.   
Protoman and Megaman ran through the torn remains of their former enemies and came around to the side door. Megaman backed up slightly and then slid, pushing off the ground into a frontflip he kicked the door with such incredible force the whole thing came flying in like a piece of cardboard.   
The two warriors stepped in and were struck with shock at what they saw...   
*   
X and Zero blasted their way through the obsolete enemies left and right, metools going down with a quick sabre slash here and there. They came to a huge steel door.   
"Well...Zero you can try first..." X bowed out of the way so that Zero could take a shot.   
"My pleasure..." Zero said with a chuckle as he unsheathed his Z sabre.   
Closing his eyes he concentrated as he held his sabre out...   
"ARRRGH!" He yelled as he charged at full force and performed his Z slash.   
It took a moment but the door soon fell to pieces and instantaneously plasma started flying out of the room in volleys of energy.   
X and Zero both jumped into the room and flipped to different sides and as they stood noticed a few familiar faces...   
*   
Bass came across the underground entrance and called for Treble.   
"Treble! Come boy!" He shouted as Treble came near he began the transformation form, his wings taking form as he floated back a few feet and aimed his buster.   
"Bass Blaster!" He shouted as a huge blast of plasma melted everything in its path ahead of it for a good 15 feet, completely obliterating the door.   
He floated in slowly...the transformation already sucking away at his energy.   
"Treble...that's enough for now boy..." He said gently as Treble reverted and fell to the floor on all fours.   
~Its too quiet...~ Bass thought as he walked slowly...treble trailing slightly.   
*   
The shadow watched from above and smiled slowly, watching his prey slowly walk closer and closer to death...surely this would be fun...   
*   
Megaman and Protoman stared down the 4 Robot masters...   
GeminiMan, TopMan, HardMan and Gutsman stood in front of the next door.   
"It seems we have some uninvited visitors!" Gutsman bellowed.   
"Yes...let's get rid of them!" TopMan declared.   
"Not until we have some fun..." GeminiMan snickered.   
"Yeah! Fun!" Hardman laughed stupidly along with the others as he slammed his fists together.   
Protoman and Megaman looked to each other and smiled.   
Looking back to the robot masters they each rolled in the opposite direction of each other and stood.   
"Bring it on you filthy tin cans!" Protoman shouted as he loosed a massive plasma blast.   
The four robot masters scattered...from mid-air Gemini announced the plan.   
"TOP! You're with me! Hardman and Gutsman you take care of megaman!"   
The others nodded as both Protoman and Megaman were surrounded by the robot masters.   
"Ready for plan B Megaman?" Protoman asked him worriedly.   
"Sure!...What's plan B?" Megaman said softly. 


	3. Anguish, Loss and Torment

Magma Dragoon and Slash Beast leaned up against the wall...their red eyes gleaming in the darkness.   
"Hello boys..." Magma said with a growl.   
"Long time no see..." Slash said with a touch of sarcasm.   
"Its nice to see you too...Sorry I didn't send you a birthday card recently..." Zero said with a sneer.   
"Very funny smartass...but I'm afraid the mission ends here...we can't let them be disturbed..."   
~Them?~ X thought.   
~Wily!!~   
*   
Wily went through the data over and over as he slowly opened the capsule...the "red monster" coming out of its cage.   
"This is perfect!" Sigma shouted in happiness.   
"With this warrior I can finally destroy X...and his infernal partner Zero."   
Wily's eyes widened slightly.   
"You mean that in the future my greatest creation will be teamed up with Light's greatest creation?"   
Sigma smiled and nodded. "Coincidental ain't it?"   
Finally the red figure's eyes began to glow with a light green light.   
It stepped out of the capsule slowly...and looked to Sigma.   
"Good...there's one thing I won't have to teach you."   
The red monster unsheathed his Z sabre...ready for action.   
"Good..." Sigma said.   
"Your first targets are X and Zero..." Sigma showed pictures.   
"X....Zero..." the monster replied as it looked on and grimaced...its eyes fading to a dark blood red as it scowled and held out its sabre.   
"Targets confirmed!" It said as it sped out the door and up to where all the action was.   
"Now its just a matter of time..." Sigma said.   
The shadowy figure could sense X and Zero nearby...feeling the presence of Slash Beast and Magma Dragoon as well.   
"I shall wait a moment..." the monster of the dark said to himself as he hid out in a sheltered place until the time was right.   
*   
"What is it that Sigma wants with Wily? Tell us what you know!" Zero demanded.   
Slash Beast and Magma Dragoon smiled at each other.   
"These boys sure are demanding..." Slash Beast hissed.   
"Yeah...maybe we should teach them some manners!" Magma growled as they both turned to face X and Zero.   
~I knew this wasn't going to be easy~ X thought.   
Slash charged at Zero while Magma set his sights on X and the room exploded with chaos.   
*   
Protoman saw TopMan and GeminiMan on either sides of him and HardMan and GutsMan were on both sides of Megaman.   
"So...what's plan B again?" Megaman muttered desperately.   
Protoman smiled.   
"Jump..." he said calmly.   
Megaman looked at him like he was insane and then Protoman turned and barked the order at him.   
"JUMP!" He yelled.   
Megaman jumped quickly into the air as Protoman charged his buster.   
"We'll do a combination buster attack." Protoman said.   
Megaman smiled.   
"Ok..."   
Megaman charged his as they both fired and the two plasma blasts met in the middle with a huge explosion. The explosion sent Top, Gemini, Hard and GutsMan flying back into opposite walls as Protoman landed in front of TopMan and Megaman landed in front of HardMan.   
Topman spun around and kicked protoman, hard, across the face. Protoman went flying into Gemini man who brought his knee hard into Protoman's stomach. After recovering from the blow Protoman put his hands down on Gemini's knee and pushed back, firing a blast of plasma directly into GeminiMan's head.   
"GGRRRAARRRGHHH!" Gemini cried as he fell onto one knee...his head unit badly damaged.   
Megaman ducked a massive punch from Hardman only to be punched from the other direction by Gutsman, slamming into the wall megaman winced and dropped onto one knee...waiting for Gutsman to charge again before jumping up and flipping over his head, causing Guts to run into the wall Megaman fired a fully charged plasma blast into GutsMan's back...planting him in the steel wall, his back completely stripped of all metal armoring.   
Hardman and TopMan stood side by side.   
"Damn you!" hardman bellowed.   
"You'll pay for that." TopMan promised.   
The two fired their weapons at the same time creating a massive spinning fist, it knocked both Protoman and Megaman into the wall.   
Wincing Megaman staggered onto his feet and aimed at the spinning fist...firing a full blast charge...but it didn't do anything.   
"Protoman..." Megaman mumbled.   
"Yeah, I gotcha..." Protoman nodded as he fell onto one knee and staggered up...they both aimed and charged their busters again.   
"Let's kick it up another notch and give this chip a try eh?" Protoman encouraged.   
Megaman smiled as he charged his buster up to its fullest extent...a red light flashing on his forearm   
"NOW!" Protoman cried as two humongous plasma balls tore through the spinning fist and then through the two robot masters...leaving nothing more than a melted pile of metal.   
After surveying the scene of carnage Protoman and Megaman looked at each other as a huge metal door opened. They nodded to each other as Protoman took point and Megaman followed close behind.   
*   
Slash jumped into the air and brought his razor sharp claws down towards Zero's head while Magma held out his hand and fired a huge ball of fire at X.   
*   
Zero brought up his sabre quickly, Slash pulling his claws back and backflipping to land on one knee. Pushing off his bent knee he charged again, stopping short he shot out his hands as small scythes came flying out from his hands towards Zero at blinding speed...aiming to slice him to bits.   
*   
X called his Chill Penguin blaster program and charged it up. ~Oh no you don't...~ he thought...   
Creating a wall of ice as the fire slammed into the wall of ice he took out zero's old sabre and went around the side of the wall slashing at Magma's middle.   
Magma backflipped as X's sabre slashed through mid air, the energy creating a streak of light where the sabre slashed.   
X looked over and saw the scythes heading towards Zero...fast.   
*   
Zero's eyes widened slightly.   
~Crap!~ he thought as he jumped straight into the air and did a frontflip, unsheathing his sabre he executed his Kuuenzan technique at Slash's head. Slash growled and jumped up to meet the Sabre with his claws, pushing Zero off balance. Zero fell back and slammed on the ground hard. Slash came down claws first aiming to take off Zero's head. Throwing his feet up he kicked Slash in the stomach and sent him flying overhead, backrolling and getting onto his feet he turned and fired a blast of plasma at Slash...the energy racing towards him he had nowhere to go... the sound of the energy slamming into him echoed through the room as slash emerged from the smoke minus one arm. He grimaced and growled...   
"You're going to pay for that..." he muttered as his eyes suddenly went blood-red...something wasn't right.   
Slash beast glared at Zero and for the first time, Zero was genuinely scared. The glow of his eyes seemed unnatural. Like what he was seeing was the deepest darkest pits of the hottest hellhole. Slash suddenly charged forward with tremendous speed and spun, kicking Zero straight across the face and sending him into a nearby wall.   
X looked over and saw Zero hit the wall but didn't have time to do anything before Magma came out, fist first and slammed X in the mouth. They both landed next to each other as Slash came towards them for a low attack and Magma high above ready to fire his flame attack. X and Zero looked at each other as Zero got up and spun quickly knocking away Slash's claws, pointing his buster directly at Slash's head, Zero smiled and fired the blast. Slash's head unit was completely disintegrated as Magma shouted out in rage and fired a massive fireball towards the two.   
Once again X called an ice wall, but it wasn't big enough so they were scorched by the flames of Magma Dragoon's rage...damaging them considerably. After they recovered from the attack they both jumped into the air on either side of Magma, charging their busters they fired at him but he quickly dropped down onto the ground on one knee as their two blasts collided and set off a huge explosion. Flipping backwards both X and Zero stared down Magma as he too was beginning to change...slowly...but surely, he was changing.   
"Are you frightened little boys? You can't explain this incredible power! Prepare to be crushed!" Magma exclaimed as he powered up for another Fire attack.   
"Zero...ice element, quickly!" X shouted as he brought up his chill penguin technique again, Zero nodded and leapt into the air, bringing his sabre down it became a razor sharp icicle flying down towards Magma at an incredible speed while X fired a massive ice wall towards Magma, these two ice attacks came too fast and Magma was overcome, being sliced in two before slammed into the wall and crushed.   
Both of them breathing heavily they looked at each other.   
"This is more difficult than I had imagined..." X admitted.   
"Yeah...they've been working out or something. We'll need to keep our guard up from now on..." Zero agreed as the two went through the newly opened door...a shadowy figure following close behind.   
*   
Sigma turned and left Wily's inner chambers long before as Wily snickered to himself and opened the secret panel to the deepest part of his lab where the real treasure was hidden.   
"I wasn't going to let him take you my pet...don't worry." Wily cooed as he went over the Data from the latest tests.   
"GGM is sure proving useful with the data input. I'm sure he's proving to be of quite some help out there with that freak Sigma." Wily said to himself when suddenly a silent alarm went off behind him.   
"What's that? No...impossible. That would mean..." Wily turned around as suddenly the unthinkable became reality.   
*   
Bass looked around carefully as he went through the bottom chambers of Wily's lab. Walking as silently as possible he came across the first door and opened it with relative ease. He stepped in and the door shut quickly behind him. Standing before him were two Robot Masters...hiding in the shadows.   
"Who are you?!" Bass demanded.   
"My name is ElecMan..." one said with a hiss from the darkness.   
"I'm QuickMan." The other said as they stepped into the light.   
As soon as Bass saw them for some reason he knew he was out of his league...   
*   
Wily looked up at his creation...its eyes were glowing with a murderous blood red as it smiled.   
"Hello doctor..." It muttered slowly as it unsheathed a sabre.   
"You can't do this to me! I created you! I made you what you..."   
Wily wasn't able to finish his sentence as the monster sliced his head off...leaving him a crumpled heap of flesh in the lab. Destroying all the main computers in the lab he took off looking for more fresh meat.   
*   
The shadowy figure known as GGM had returned back to where Wily had been just as the monster escaped. Luckily GGM found somewhere to hide as he watched the horror unfold.   
"You can't do this to me! I created you! I made you what you...ARRRRGGGHHHH!" the sound of the blade slicing through human flesh hit GGM at the nerve as the monster took out the door at lightning speed GGM sat there...stunned...unable to move or think or feel. Finally the rage began to settle in as he slowly got out of his hiding position and growled. Preparing his buster his own eyes began to shine with vengeance as he took off after the beast. Determined for revenge.   
Megaman and Protoman walked into the small room...another one with small beacons of light.   
Suddenly Megaman received a distress signal from Bass's location before it came to a sudden, violent end.   
"Protoman..." Megaman asked quietly.   
"...yeah I did..." Protoman answered.   
Megaman closed his eyes for a moment...feeling them soften before opening them again.   
"Bass..." he said quietly, his voice shaking slightly.   
"I don't know what happened to him...but I have a feeling we won't be seeing him again." Protoman said in a rather monotone manner.   
"...whatever it was that happened..." Megaman said...his voice almost completely lost under the rage and confusion of his lost battle comrade.   
"...Bass didn't deserve it..." Megaman finally blurted out.   
Protoman walked over to MegaMan and gently put his hand on his shoulder.   
"Whatever it was… we'll find it and have vengeance for Bass…I promise." Protoman said with a smile.   
Megaman smirked, finding new hope in this latest pact. But it didn't last long as a soft hissing laughter came from the shadows.   
"Awww… Megaman and his brother having a sentimental moment…if I had any feelings I'd probably cry…" the figure snickered as it stepped into the light and the two heroes met with an incredibly familiar face.   
*   
DarkMan, ShadowMan and MetalMan all ran to where they heard their masters scream. They were shocked to discover their master slain in his deepest, most secret room in the lair and to see that his latest project was missing…not to mention GatlingGunMan.   
"Whoever did this…will now know the end of my rage…" ShadowMan said with a shaking voice as he clenched his fists.   
"I'll rip them apart! I'll slowly tear off their limbs and…" MetalMan looked over to DarkMan…   
DarkMan stood very quietly with a blank expression on his face, and yet his eyes told volumes. Hidden behind those eyes were tortures and plans awaiting the culprit of this crime that would make the devil shudder…a power that knew no end and would see to the end of the monster that did this to his beloved master.   
"He went this way…" DarkMan said with a solemn tone as he ran down the hall in GGM's direction.   
*   
GatlingGunMan ran down the halls with blinding speed, his eyes filled with rage as the walls and doors flew past him like bad memories.   
~I'll find that beast and rip him apart with my bare hands!~ He told himself as he pivoted off his right leg and leapt down the next hallway, increasing his speed even more.   
*   
ElecMan and QuickMan smiled down on the beaten, broken Bass.   
"That was way too easy…" Elecman said with a snicker.   
"Yeah, I thought Bass was one of his 'stronger' robots." Quickman said with a snicker.   
The two stood over bass laughing together for a moment until ElecMan finally said.   
"Well, I suppose we can leave him alive…after all he is one of Wily's older robots, he may want him as a memento."   
*   
Bass simply lied on the floor listening to the insults…unable to do anything about it.   
~I'm…the strongest…I'm…the strongest…~ he kept repeating in his head…but the constant insults and laughter finally broke through and shattered the solid belief in his superiority.   
"…after all he is one of Wily's older robots…he may want him as a memento." ElecMan said as Bass quickly shut his eyes, that final sentence hurting more than any physical attack he had ever felt.   
Huge pieces of his armor lay scattered around the room as he heard the two robots feet move towards the door as it shut behind them loudly. He opened his eyes for a moment…only to realize he was locked into the darkness…the darkness of his shame. And with that…he closed his eyes once more, and wept.   
*   
"Hello boys!" GutsMan said with a bellow.   
"It's good to see you again…"   
Megaman and Protoman both grimaced as they got their busters ready.   
"Now now now…you may not want to be so jumpy…" a voice from behind them scolded.   
Megaman turned quickly and noticed the small figure of CutMan step out of the shadows.   
"Can we just get this over with already?" TurboMan said quickly as he emerged from almost nothing.   
Megaman looked around to the three robot masters, amazed at how they could not have sensed them with their detectors.   
"Now then, let's get this little party started shall we?" GutsMan said as he clenched his fists when all of the sudden CutMan looked at his detector.   
"Hey…hey GutsMan…look at your detector." CutMan said in a monotone, dull voice.   
"What is it abo…" GutsMan stopped completely as he read his detector…something was picking off the new guy's men one by one within seconds of each other. Pretty soon Sigma's remaining forces were nowhere to be found in the lair.   
"What the hell is that thing?!" TurboMan asked in confusion and fear.   
"I don't know…but I don't want it finding us next…"   
  
GatlingGunMan ran and turned down another hallway and stopped suddenly, sliding for a few feet before stopping in front of a huge metal door.   
~There's something in there…~ he thought as he walked up to the door and gently put his fingers on the door, activating the microphones on his fingers.   
*   
X and Zero walked into the room slowly when all of the sudden X slowed to a crawl before stopping completely.   
"Oh my god…" X said quietly looking at his Locator.   
"What is it?" Zero asked while he looked down at his arm and then he realized what it was X was so spooked about.   
"They're…all gone?!" Zero exclaimed.   
"It…looks that way…but how?" X wondered when all of the sudden he heard something.   
"Zero…" he whispered softly as he motioned him to get out of the way…he aimed his buster at the door and charged it.   
*   
GatlingGunMan was getting anxious after the silence and suddenly he heard a low humming sound…   
~DAMN!~ he thought violently as he jumped back and to the side as the door blew out after an incredible explosion.   
From the dust came a tall blue robot and a tall red robot…the ones he'd been trailing. And suddenly his eyes turned to slits of hatred as he realized the red robot's identity…   
His master's assassin.   
Protoman and Megaman stood surrounded by Guts, Cut and TurboMan...breathing heavily and yet at the same time they weren't as scared as the others were.   
"What the hell is that thing!?" GutsMan asked nervously.   
Turboman's eyes suddenly went wide as he turned hearing a clatter behind him.   
"It's in the other room!" He yelled frantically.   
The steel doors bent and twisted like putty as Megaman and Protoman ran into the back room and hid behind the wall knowing that whatever was coming was far too powerful for any of them...and it was a good thing that they did, for what unfolded would be considered horrific in the deepest pits of hell.   
*   
Zero smiled as he heard the frantic scream of a frightened robot and blew in the door.   
As the dust cleared the figure from hell stepped through the broken twisted door slowly, his eyes burning with a fury unlike any the Robot masters had ever seen.   
"Hello boys...were you expecting me?" He said calmly as he smiled, slowly unsheathing his Z-sabre.   
"What....what are you?!" CutMan asked.   
Zero chuckled.   
"Can't you recognize your own brother? I'm hurt boys..." Zero's smile turned into a hellbent grimace as the onslaught began.   
He leapt towards Cutman first and spun, slashing off Cut's head...running his sabre through Cut's middle he brought it down quickly slicing his body in half. A few quick movements reduced Cutman to bits as he smiled and turned to GutsMan and TurboMan, who were both enraged.   
Guts charged with his huge fist held out towards Zero's head and Turbo ran around quickly to get the monstrosity from behind.   
Zero smiled as the fist came from in front of him and the attack from behind.   
Zero quickly ducked as Guts' massive fist slammed into Turbo's face as he spun around slicing turbo in half, holding out his buster he incinerated Turbo's upper half with a single blast, but he was careless. Guts was able to slam him with his massive fist when he was busy killing turbo, sending him flying into a wall.   
Zero shook his head slowly and staggered up. Guts knew that what he had just done had sealed his fate.   
"You certainly pack a punch...but you're a coward to attack when one's back is turned." Zero said calmly as he fired his buster to incinerate what remained of Turbo's body.   
"Now your death will be remembered through history!" Zero declared as Guts threw another punch, this time Zero caught it effortlessly.   
"Fool..." he said as he slowly crushed Guts' hand, Guts letting out a blood-curdling scream as the pain rushed through his body.   
"Oh...does that hurt? I'm sorry...maybe this will help..." He said heartlessly as he ripped Guts' arm right out of his body.   
What followed was a scream that echoed through the emptiness of the lab and ringed in the ears of the 6 remaining Robot masters in the lab...not to mention Sigma and Vile.   
*   
Elecman and QuickMan stood outside their masters deepest room, dumbfounded at the sight of his slain body.   
"Who...did this?!" ElecMan demanded.   
Suddenly a scream unlike any they had ever heard filled their ears, it was the scream of their comrade GutsMan.   
Quickman looked at his detector.   
"Let's find Shadow, Dark and Metal quickly...GGM is still around here too and if he saw this...god knows what he'll do now."   
Elecman nodded in agreement, knowing GGM very well by now he was very aware of the damage he was capable of, and had pity on the soul that would anger GGM to such a point.   
*   
"Oh, I'm sorry...did that hurt?" Zero asked mockingly.   
GutsMan grimaced and looked up to zero in spite.   
"Damn you...filthy [penguin]..." he said slowly.   
"Now now now..." The monster said with a chuckle.   
"Is that any way to talk to your brother?"   
He began eyeing Guts' other arm.   
"That's looking kind of heavy now...shall I get rid of it for you?" He said in a slow, low tone.   
Guts' eyes widened slowly in terror as he looked at Zero in disbelief.   
"No..you can't...please..." he said...his eyes beginning to water but it didn't help. With a quick movement Zero ripped the arm out of Guts' body and what followed was a scream that sounded like it came from a soul pushed over the edge of pain.   
*   
The scream rang clear in Protoman and Megaman's ears as they winced and closed their eyes, tears forming.   
~Sure GutsMan is a Robot Master...but no one deserves this kind of torment...~ Megaman thought tearfully.   
*   
The torture lasted for 30 minutes as Zero cut GutsMan from top to bottom with small cuts in order to prolong his torment and pain. When it was all over Wily wouldn't be able to recognize him, not like it mattered anyways, since Wily was dead.   
Slowly Zero made his way through the room that Megaman and Protoman were hiding in as he headed to his next target, another doctor's lab...   
Thomas Light's.   
Sigma and Vile stood outside the south side of the lab quietly, the breeze carrying a wave of dust towards the two remaining mavericks from the future.   
"I can't believe that's Zero..." Sigma said quietly, still in awe of Zero's onslaught earlier that he barely escaped along with Vile.   
"Surely that hellspawn isn't Zero, his power is far more than the Zero we know..." Vile's voice was still shaking from the prior encounter in which they lost the remaining mavericks that they had.   
"I think he's still in the lab..." Sigma said quietly.   
"We can head to Thomas Light's lab and destroy it while Zero is busy in there tearing up the lab." Vile suggested quickly...he wanted to get away as fast as possible.   
Sigma looked to Vile and saw this fear, disgusted by it, and yet at the same time understanding.   
"Very well...come!" Sigma ordered as he took off towards Light's lab, hoping to steal some important information on the X prototype.   
*   
"You!" GGM screamed as he pointed at Zero.   
"What is it? Are you one of Wily's goons?!" Zero asked suspiciously as he unsheathed his sabre.   
GGM growled.   
"I'm more than one of his "goons"...but what use is it giving information to a dead robot?" GGM smiled coldly as he held out his buster.   
Zero growled and turned to X as they both began charging their busters.   
The three warriors faced off...the sound of their busters humming as each of them met each others glare with a calm collected stare.   
"You killed my brothers...you killed my master..."   
GGM's body began to glow softly with a gentle red aura.   
"Now you can use every resource at your disposal to try and dispose of me! Stand firm beast! This is your final battle!"   
GGM launched forward and stopped short firing his blast at Zero from about 4 feet away.   
~Damn!~ Zero thought as he tried to roll to the right of it but the blast caught the bottom of his legs and spun his body around as he crashed into a wall, his legs slightly damaged...Zero winced.   
"Crap..." Zero mumbled.   
*   
Suddenly a large blast came and slammed into GGM's side as he went flying. Zero looked to the source of the blast and saw X standing with a smoking buster as he staggered to his feet and walked over to stand next to X. Turning around he was astonished to see the mysterious robot stand after taking that blast.   
*   
GGM hit the red beast with his blast but only a moment later he was slammed by a blast of energy.   
~What the hell?~ He thought quickly until he realized what had happened.   
~That blue robot!~ he finally concluded as he slammed into the wall and fell.   
He heard the beast standing slowly so he decided to follow suit and grimaced, staring down the murderer and his accomplice.   
  
X looked to zero as he stood up slowly, then back to GGM.   
~He's a lot stronger than the others...~ X thought worriedly.   
Zero winced and staggered over to X, tapping into his surplus energy supply to heal his legs...holding his Z sabre tightly as he growled.   
"You want a fight? Very well..." Zero smiled menacingly and charged at GGM, who had also unsheathed his own sabre and the two met with powerful slashes.   
Their sabres collided as energy flew off of them, the two grimacing as they held their sabres in place…   
"You're pretty strong…" Zero said with a smile.   
GGM screamed in fury and pushed with all his might, sending Zero off balance as he jumped and spun bringing his foot across Zero's face sending him flying into a nearby wall as X charged with his buster extended, loosing a small blast of plasma into GGM's face.   
The explosion sent GGM reeling backwards. He almost crashed into the wall, but was able to extend his feet and push off of the wall into a frontflip, landing on one knee before looking up slowly.   
"Two on one…that's not very fair…" GGM said with a smile.   
With that he held his sabre out in his left hand and tossed it into his right, smiling through the whole thing.   
"Let's go another round!" GGM declared as he leapt towards X and Zero.   
*   
Alpha Zero stood outside of Dr. Light's lab…smiling as he walked towards it slowly.   
As he expected the defense system began as soon as he stepped just over a millimeter into the boundaries…dozens of turrets came from Light's ceiling and walls and opened fire on him. Alpha Zero smiled, the bullets doing nothing to his advanced armor as he walked towards the base slowly, taking out the turrets one by one. Alpha Zero finally made it into the lab with little effort as he chuckled.   
"What a futile defense system…what use would that be against an intruder like me?"   
Alpha Zero continued his mission as he destroyed the main doors, blasting his way into the lair, tearing through anything and everything that stood in his way. 


	4. And then there were none

Light saw the monster approaching as he turned on the main defense system, Megaman was out and so was Protoman and Bass…Roll was out collecting data for Light's newest invention.   
~I'm all alone here…~ Light thought hopelessly as Alpha Zero tore through the defenses like they were nothing.   
Light sighed and turned to the main control panel, inserting the code to bury his latest, and greatest invention ever…his eyes began to water gently as he heard the explosion outside…   
"Goodbye X…until we meet again…" Light said in a shaking, breaking voice as he turned to face the monster who had come to reap his soul.   
*   
ALphaZero blasted through the final barricade and stepped through the smoke slowly, seeing the doctor in front of him.   
"Well well well, at least I didn't have to search for you." Alpha Zero said with a tone of sarcastic optimism.   
Light grimaced slightly before maintaining himself.   
"Wily sent you didn't he?" Light asked quietly.   
AlphaZero laughed out loud.   
"That old fool has drowned in a pool of his own blood by now…I don't listen to pathetic humans like him." Alpha Zero said coldly.   
Light couldn't believe it… surely he hadn't really killed Dr. Wily, and yet he seemed so convincing…and Light's eyes widened as he came to realize that Alpha Zero had truly killed Wily.   
"Oh, it wasn't that bad, I made it quick for him, GutsMan though…he required some pain." With that Alpha Zero described the horrors he had executed on GutsMan with sickening detail.   
With this horrible revelation Dr. Light staggered back into his main control panel and accidently brought up the plans for X.   
"Ooooo…what's that you have there doc?" Alpha Zero asked curiously.   
Light grimaced and slapped his forehead…not believing that he had actually shown X's program to Alpha Zero.   
Zero looked it over intently…it containing all the information on X except where he was at the present time.   
Zero smiled and turned to the Doctor.   
"Thank you for this wonderful information…now I believe your existence is obsolete and should be terminated…" he smiled. "…now!"   
The sabre moved quickly and left Light in a pool of his own blood. Alpha Zero laughed out loud, his bellows echoing through the hallways as he ran through the remainder of the lab destroying the rest of it completely.   
  
Sigma and Vile stopped at the top of the hill overlooking Light's lab…or what was left of it.   
"Damn! Everything we've planned has been sabotaged by that menacing demon!" Sigma growled through his teeth.   
Vile sighed and turned away from the ruins.   
"It would be best for us to return…we have much planning to do after these recent developments, obviously time isn't willing to change. What will happen will happen, and we will remain as we are now. We need to get to work on a new force and if we're lucky we might be able to attack the modern world while X and Zero are still tied up here…"   
Sigma mumbled fiercely under his breath.   
"Very well…" Sigma turned to follow Vile, then turned again and whispered.   
"God help all who might stand in the face of that beast…this isn't the Zero we know …fortunately..." And with a growl he turned back to follow vile, the portal opening up as they returned to 21XX.   
*   
GGM spun around bringing his sabre across both X and Zero's chests. They both jumped back quickly as the sabre whisked through the air about a millimeter away from their breastplates as X brought his sword down on GGM's and Zero slashed at GGM's head.   
GGM smiled and ducked quickly, letting go of his sabre he threw his hand up violently and knocked the sabre out of Zero's hand, jumping into the air and grabbing it he spun in mid-air and held out his buster, firing a rather large blast under the feet of Zero.   
*   
~I got him!~ Zero thought as he slashed at the monster's neck, but he was incredibly fast and was under his arm in less than a second, knocking the sabre out of his hand.   
~DAMMIT!~ he thought as he turned and saw GGM charging his buster, he leapt forward but the explosion still sent him flying forward. Flipping once he attempted to land on one knee but slid forward and landed on his face.   
X saw Zero go flying by and growled, turning to GGM, who was already on the offensive again.   
The monster flew towards X at amazing speed from above and flipped forward bringing the sabre down to try and slice X in half.   
~Surely he's much stronger than either of us anticipated…~ X cursed himself for the underestimation as he rolled quickly to the left, his sabre still held tightly in his hand he stood quickly and pushed off his left leg throwing out his buster he fired a plasma blast followed by a slash across his chest from top right to bottom left.   
*   
GGM slashed through the plasma only to have his sabre meet another sabre…and the two blades held there for what seemed like an eternity in the eyes of the ones who wielded them.   
GGM's eyes were empty, and were being filled, second by second, with more hatred to help fuel his fight. Suddenly, a great trampling was heard in the open hall.   
ElecMan, QuickMan, ShadowMan, DarkMan and MetalMan all ran through the door.   
"Gattling!" Quick said with exhaustion.   
"We finally found you!" Metal said with happiness.   
GGM was a different person now, his sabre held tightly, his armor slightly singed from the earlier blast he turned and stared down his brethren in a fiery rage. And all 5 of them backed up slowly.   
"Gattling…what's wrong with you?!" Dark asked cautiously.   
GGM growled and pointed at Zero with his sabre.   
"Can't you see? This is the one who killed Wily!" GGM shouted in a wild frenzy.   
"This is, Zero?" Metal asked with a tinge of doubt.   
"Of course it's Zero! We've all seen Wily's latest project and this is him!" GGM was getting impatient with the lack of belief from his brothers.   
"But Gattling, take a good look at him…a really good look." Elec said softly.   
GGM growled and turned to stare down Zero, and gazing deep into his eyes he discovered something that frightened him to the core of his being.   
Inside Zero's eyes there were the stories of heroism, kindness and friendship…things that couldn't possibly be in the eyes of a bloodthirsty killer.   
GGM slowly dropped his sabre to the ground.   
"I…I don't know what to say…" He stuttered shakily as he fell to his knees.   
Zero went and picked up his Sabre and sheathed it while X sheathed his.   
GGM looked up at his brothers.   
"So, you're telling me that while I've been fighting this one, that killer has been out wreaking havoc?"   
Quick sighed and nodded slowly.   
GGM growled and pounded his fist into the ground.   
"DAMMIT!"   
*   
Megaman and Protoman got out of their hiding places slowly, looking to GutsMan's remaining pieces they shuddered and turned away.   
"Let's get out of here…" Protoman said quietly.   
"I have to call this in to Dr. Light, he may be in trouble." Megaman said, not knowing the terrors that had already taken place back at his home, he called in to the lab.   
  
A screen popped up in the destroyed lab. Robots lay destroyed everywhere…far away one could find the mutilated body of a female robot, clutching her heart in torment while she waited for the brother who never came. A doctor lie in a massive pool of blood in front of his main control panel, as the plans for his latest invention flickered on again for just a second to reveal a single letter…X.   
*   
"Dr. Light? Dr. Light?! DR. LIGHT!!!" Megaman screamed into the communicator.   
He knew what had happened and he immediately collapsed onto his knees.   
"Damn…I knew it…I knew that monster wasn't finished…"   
Protoman found himself in shock as well, reeling from the loss of the day he tried to stay strong for Megaman's sake.   
"Come on Megaman…we can't just give up now. We have to try and right these wrongs. I know this is going to be hard for you, it's hard for me too…but we have to continue…" Protoman couldn't speak anymore, his tears had taken over as he began to weep. He wept with such strength as a man who never had cried before in his life as he sat on the floor, his entire body shaking with agony and grief he screamed into the darkness that enveloped them both.   
  
X looked over the 6 robots now, GGM, Shadow, Dark, Elec, Metal and QuickMan. Each of them offering GGM encouraging words, but he knew that none of them helped GGM feel any better. The fact that he rushed into the battle with the wrong Zero opened the doors for Alpha Zero to wreak havoc and destruction all around him while he was busy fighting the other Zero.   
"It's all my fault...I can't believe I was so foolish!" GGM exclaimed in anger.   
Zero looked around, still not coming to grasp with the intensity of the situation.   
"So let me get this straight, there's another berserk version of me running around somewhere around here?" Zero asked doubtfully.   
GGM and the other four robots looked to him with a glare of hatred.   
"No...YOU are running around killing all those people...it's just not the future you. It's the you that was made in this time." ElecMan said.   
Zero cocked his head to one side, the look of confusion more evident than a bright neon sign.   
"You were created in this time by Dr. Wily...someone has set "you" free too early, and now you're causing destruction wherever you go." ShadowMan said impatiently.   
Zero's look shifted from confused to horrified as he staggered back a few steps.   
"That...monster? That monster is me?" Zero asked in amazement.   
X quickly ran to Zero's side and held him up, yelling in his ear.   
"Get a hold of yourself Zero! That monster is nothing like you! You can't let yourself be fooled!"   
Zero shook his head violently, shoving X away.   
"Get away from me! Just stay away!!" He yelled as he ran out of the room, confused, angry and unsure of himself and his comrades.   
  
Zero ran outside and down the corridor in blinding speed. Millions of thoughts racing through his head, driving him forward as he sped faster and faster...further and further out of wily's lair until he finally reached the cool, refreshing air outside.   
The sun was setting softly in the west as Zero collapsed to his knees.   
~What am I? What's going on?!~   
Zero suddenly felt a horrifically cold being approaching at incredible speed, and stood up quickly.   
*   
Alpha Zero stopped on one of the many barren hills surrounding Wily's Lair.   
"There are 8 more robots in there...each of them undeniably strong...plus the two unidentified beings in there..." Alpha zero smiled.   
"No matter...more pigs to the slaughter!" Alpha Zero chuckled and dashed towards the base at lightning speed.   
*   
Zero felt the figure approcahing, and he had a strong urge to turn around and run back inside. The same warrior who had battled monsters of unspeakable destructive power now felt enough fear from this entity of evil that he truly felt that running away was his only chance...as he felt the figure growing stronger he turned, and ran back down the corridors.   
*   
GGM stood slowly, his brothers standing behind him.   
"I suggest that you two return to wherever it was that you came from...things may become very ugly soon."   
X nodded silently.   
"True...I shall get Zero and report back to where I came from...I haven't sensed Sigma or Vile anywhere nearby, god knows what they're planning right now."   
Just then a blur of red went jetting by...   
"Zero?" X asked curiously as he looked down the corridor, and suddenly got a rush of the entity that was approaching, he slowly turned to the 6 robots.   
"Um, you guys might want to get ready for one hell of a battle, whatever it was I just picked up just scared my partner away like a cat does a mouse."   
X looked rather serious now.   
"And my friend is the farthest thing from a mouse that you'll ever meet..."   
GGM looked to his brothers slowly, all of them getting their busters ready.   
"That beast killed our master, like hell if we're gonna let him leave here standing!"   
The 5 robot brothers shouted in agreement as X made way for them to head out to battle against Alpha Zero.   
X then turned the other way and ran in the direction that Zero was...hoping to get to him and get them both back home.   
Zero stopped running, and as soon as he did he fell to his knees and began to cry in shame.   
~What am I doing? I'm the most fearsome maverick hunter in my time...and yet...whatever that was scared me...scared me beyond my wildest nightmares...~   
Zero took a deep breath and heard running steps coming from behind him, with a light calling of his name.   
*   
"Zero! Zero where are you?" X called desperately...   
~Zero...what's wrong? What was it about that creature that scared you so much?~ X thought with great concern as he noticed Zero's outline ahead of him...on his knees.   
"Zero! There you are!" X called as he came up behind Zero.   
*   
Zero heard X come up behind him and growled softly...   
"Go away...I don't need your comments right now X...I have enough shame as it is..." he said softly.   
*   
"Who said I was going to make comments Zero? You had every right to run from that...thing. Truly its power is incredible... but that's not why I came. Sigma and Vile have dissappeared...I think they went back home..."   
Zero growled...a little louder this time.   
"Those cowardly beasts...taking advantage of the situation to head back and cause all sorts of damage..."   
X sighed.   
"We need to head back...now...so why don't we..." suddenly X heard a sound nearby.   
"shh..." X said cautiously as he got his X-buster ready...Zero stood and silently took out his Z-sabre.   
*   
Megaman looked to Protoman and motioned for him to follow after him quietly...   
~We're almost there...~ Megaman thought to himself with a smile as he leapt out from behind the wall hoping to roll and slide behind the next wall without being noticed by any guards that were probably left behind.   
*   
X saw a blur and immediately fired, Zero rushing and slashing wildly at the next body that came out.   
*   
Megaman didn't know what hit him...suddenly his body was torn apart by a powerful blast, his arms going one way...his legs another, his central body unit completely dissipated as his head rolled back and gently bumped the back wall.   
*   
Protoman turned to see a flash of green before his top was separated from his lower body...another slash tore his upper body in half, his body exploding with great force sending Zero flying backwards.   
*   
"Zero?!" X cried as he watched him plow into the back wall.   
"Don't worry X...I'm ok..." Zero said with a wince.   
"Who were those...oh god!" X cried...realizing the horrifying mistake they had made.   
"It's Megaman!" Zero cried in anguish.   
"And protoman!" X lamented.   
*   
Megaman was able to make out their faces...not able to believe that it was actually X and Zero that had ended his long career of crime fighting and destroying robot masters...it was finally his time to go...   
~I'm so tired...I'm glad that it's over...but sad that it had to end this way.~   
Megaman's head unit was still able to produce some tears as a few gently rolled down his face...he began to utter his last words...   
"I...just tell Doctor Light... I'm sorry....I couldn't do more..."   
*   
X ran to Megaman's remaining unit as he knelt next to it...   
"No...you can rest now...you've done enough for this planet...far more than you can possibly imagine..."   
X's hands were shaking gently, his eyes beginning to water as he looked away from Megaman in his wretched state...one would hope that such a warrior could die in a more honorable manner.   
*   
Zero looked to his hands...there was blood all over them...once again stained with the blood of innocents.   
"What...have I done?" Zero said quietly to himself...once again falling to his knees onto the floor which was now covered in a thin layer of blood.   
*   
Megaman smiled at the last line that X spoke.   
"Thank...you...X..." he finally said as his eyes rolled back and his head unit shut down...permanently.   
*   
"Megaman...goodbye..." X was able to sputter before breaking down completely and wailing into the empty hallway. The darkness seeming to creep in on both of the heart-wrenched warriors and consume them...swallowing them back into the abyss of sadness and despair.   
*   
GGM, ElecMan, DarkMan, QuickMan, ShadowMan and MetalMan all ran outside to meet their oncoming foe.   
"This is the one guys...this is the one who destroyed our master...this is the one who tore through our brethren like meaningless cattle..." GGM began to say in a voice through his teeth, the rage growing more and more inside of him.   
"We won't let him live to destroy any more lives..." DarkMan agreed with a growl.   
Each of their busters began to hum with their attributed gifts as the creature grew closer.   
"Indeed brothers...this is the final stand...prepare for the greatest battle of your lives! This is the deciding moment...and I could not be any more proud to be standing on the battlefield with you...my brothers."   
The five robots looked to GGM and smiled.   
GGM smiled back.   
"Here's to victory!" GGM shouted and the five robots shouted back in agreement, each taking a firm stance awaiting the beast's arrival.   
*   
Alpha Zero saw the 6 robots out front.   
~This'll be fun...~ he thought with a menacing grimace as he grew closer and closer, unsheathing his sabre and charging his buster...preparing for a fun battle.   
X and Zero sat there for quite a while, revelling in their terrible mistake.   
"Zero...Zero we really should go..." X said...his voice still shaking with sadness.   
Zero nodded silently.   
"We've already ruined things enough around here...let's go home..."   
Both of them stood slowly, like the weight of the world had been slammed down on their shoulders...when all of the sudden Zero stopped.   
"What is it Zero?" X asked quietly.   
"X...we shouldn't leave...not yet. We can't leave those robots to fight that monster all by themselves! We've already ruined too many lives, let's try to save theirs!"   
X looked to Zero and closed his eyes.   
~The longer we stay here...the more open the hunter base is to attack...but we do owe those robots far more than they could possibly imagine...~   
X opened his eyes and nodded.   
"Very well..we shall help them..but we need to watch the time and make sure that we're not here too long...every minute is crucial!"   
Zero nodded as the two ran out towards where the six robots were waiting for Alpha Zero's arrival.   
*   
Alpha Zero stopped a few feet in front of the line of robots and smiled.   
"I'm glad to see you've come out...it saves me the time of hunting you down one by one to kill you..."   
GGM smiled.   
"I was just about to say the same thing..."   
Suddenly GGM heard behind him the running of feet...and turned to see X and Zero again...with blood all over them...   
Zero saw Alpha Zero...and his body went numb.   
Alpha Zero sneered.   
"I see...so you've made another of me? Fight fire with fire I suppose..."   
X couldn't believe his eyes either.   
"What....what are...you?" X asked slowly.   
Alpha Zero chuckled.   
"I am Zero...the final and greatest invention of the late Dr. Wily. Unfortunately for Dr. Wily, he wasn't able to understand that I don't take orders from anyone..." a dark smile spread over Alpha Zero's face.   
Zero took a shocked step back...mouth agape in utter shock and disbelief.   
"Dr. Wily...?" Zero mumbled to nobody in particular...finally falling back...landing on his backside.   
Alpha Zero laughed.   
"I guess this copy is faulty...surely you forgot to implement any type of courage in this one..." Alpha Zero gave Zero a look that sent chills down his spine.   
Zero finally put his front back on, grimacing...more enraged than he ever had been before and stood quickly, unsheathing his Z-sabre.   
"I don't care who the hell you say you are...this is where you put up or shut up!" Zero charged forward and spun, slashing at Alpha Zero's chest.   
Alpha Zero chuckled and leapt back, pushing off his left foot as he landed he brought his knee up into Zero's chin...sending him flying.   
Zero backflipped in mid air and landed on one knee holding out his buster arm he fired a medium sized blast, pushing off both feet into an aerial flip to land on the other side of Alpha Zero he charged again, bringing his sabre up from the ground into a powerful upward slash, attempting to slice Alpha Zero in two.   
Alpha Zero growled and spun with his sabre, slashing the blast in two and turned to Zero, bringing his sabre down, hard, on the oncoming attack and smiled slowly.   
"I see you at least have some spirit...that's good..." Alpha Zero chuckled and brought up his left foot to kick Zero's right shoulder hard enough to set him off balance.   
Zero took the hit and rolled to the left, sliding he stood firm again holding his sabre ready.   
As X watched this battle which he thought he would never see a emergency call came from deep within the fabrics of time.   
"X...X! This is Signas...we need your help! Get Zero back here immediately! We're under attack! I repeat we're under att..."   
the voice suddenly died out.   
X looked up to Zero and the monstrous Alpha Zero...and called out to his comrade.   
*   
"Zero! Zero we need to go! NOW!" X called.   
~Damn! Why now?~ Zero turned to X.   
"I'm kind of busy! What's the big deal?" Zero asked rather impatiently.   
X growled.   
"Hunter base is under attack! That's the big deal!"   
Zero stopped suddenly as a powerful slash came from Alpha Zero, GGM charged forward and met Alpha Zero's sabre with his own.   
"GO! NOW!" GGM cried as Zero nodded quietly, running after X...finally turning to GGM and the others.   
"Best of luck! All of you!" He finally turned to follow X deep into Wily's lair.   
*   
X and Zero made it into the deepest room of the lair and X put in the coordinates on his arm-panel.   
"Alright...we'll have a lot to do as soon as we get back..." X said quietly..seeing Zero was deep in thought.   
X gently put his hand on Zero's shoulder.   
"You gonna be ok?" X asked with a tinge of concern.   
Zero nodded silently.   
"Let's just go home..." he said with a mumble.   
X closed his eyes.   
"Very well...21XX...here we come..."   
The room erupted with a thunderclap as the two heroes dissappeared into nothingness.   
Alpha Zero saw his clone escape...as well as that other mysterious blue robot and growled lightly, pushing off of GGM's sabre into a backflip he tried to make his way after them..but the 5 robots stood in front of the entrance.   
"You're not going any further..." QuickMan said with a grimace.   
Alpha Zero chuckled.   
"I suppose I'll be delayed slightly while I'm killing each of you slowly...seeing as how you've caused me so much trouble I'll make sure your deaths are as slow and painful as GutsMan's was."   
GGM and the others growled softly.   
"We'll see who dies today!" GGM cried as he charged again, sabre unsheathed and brought the sabre down at Alpha Zero's head...hard.   
Alpha Zero brought up his sabre to block it as suddenly 5 huge blasts came towards him from nowhere.   
pushing off of the blade into a backroll he launched himself high into the air, over the blasts...just then GGM jumped into the air also, holding out his sabre he spun in the air, knocking Alpha Zero's sabre away throwing out his right fist, smacking Alpha Zero in the face, sending him reeling backwards into the rocky ground.   
Alpha Zero bounced roughly off of the rocky, jagged ground... and backflipped landing on one knee he looked up to GGM who now had two sabres.   
~How could this ancient robot be so strong?~ Alpha Zero thought with a scowl.   
*   
GGM spun both of the sabres around...not really having experienced that kind of combat in training...backflipping he landed on the ground on one knee.   
DarkMan looked to his brothers.   
"Let's give GGM a break and take care of this one ourselves!"   
Quick, Metal, Shadow and ElecMan all nodded with agreement.   
Dark charged first, followed by Quick, Metal and Shadow all in a line behind him with ElecMan tailing in the rear.   
Dark jumped and front flipped over Alpha Zero, the other 4 creating a small circle around Alpha Zero.   
Alpha Zero chuckled.   
"So be it..." he growled suddenly and in a blur brought his knee up into MetalMan's stomach spinning around, his foot connecting with Metal's head sent him flying to the side...turning quickly he jump kicked at QuickMan's head...sending him rolling backwards, turning to the left he did a wide sweep kick on Shadow and DarkMan, knocking them off balance before kicking dark square between the legs sending him flying off like the greatest punt in all of football history...a blast went off behind him as a sabre came whizzing from next to him.   
rolling forward he turned and grabbed the hilt of his sabre, spinning around nullifying the blast from ElecMan he charged, punching Elec in the gut then bringing his knee up under ElecMan's chin.   
~This is going to be a tough battle...~ GGM thought as he held his sabre true in his hand. 


	5. And so it ends?

X and Zero stepped out of their portal into a scene straight from hell.   
Reploid parts were strewn up the hallway and throughout the rooms as X and Zero ran down the hallway towards Signas' office...opening the door quickly...just in time.   
*   
"What are you doing Sigma!?" Signas asked as Sigma held him high in the air with one strong hand.   
Sigma chuckled lightly...and then heard the door open..turning he saw two figures he never thought he would again.   
"X! Zero!" He cried in surprise.   
Zero unsheathed his sabre as X charged his buster, aimed at Sigma.   
"Don't move scumbag..." X said quietly.   
Sigma cursed silently to himself.   
~Damn...I didn't get quite enough time...no matter...~   
Sigma threw signas towards X and Zero knocking them off balance as he crashed through the window, the splinters of glass raining onto the dry floor as he landed on one knee and took off running, yelling back to the HQ his final set of orders.   
"Omega Team...execute orders 1-5-6-3-4!" Sigma finally said as he split off into the horizon.   
Signas groaned lightly.   
"X...the...omega team...they're...so powerful..." Signas finally said before going limp in his arms.   
"X?" Zero said in a panic.   
"Don't worry Zero, he just passed out...we should take care of that Omega team though...before they cause any more damage..."   
Zero nodded silently as they both leapt out the window that Sigma escaped from and landed on one knee, turning they met 4 warriors...1 of whom they knew all too well...   
*   
GGM charged at Alpha Zero...enraged at his display of knocking his brothers aside like rag dolls he spun quickly, slashing at Alpha's neck followed by a low punch towards Alpha Zero's gut with his right fist.   
Alpha Zero brought up his sabre to block the slash with his left hand and brought his own right hand to capture the thrown punch...the two locked in that hold for a good 15 seconds before Alpha Zero kicked off of GGM's middle into a backflip out of it, pushing off of his left foot into a shoulder-rush at GGM, connecting and sending GGM flying backwards.   
Suddenly a foot came from the left and sent Alpha Zero flying. It was DarkMan.   
GGM looked up and smiled, giving him a thumbs up.   
"Thanks Dark!"   
DarkMan smiled, but the happiness didn't last for long as Alpha jumped up, angrier than ever, and threw down his sabre, his fists igniting in a black fire.   
"No more games!" Alpha shouted as he charged towards DarkMan, uppercutting him he sent him flying straight up into the air, and as DarkMan came down Alpha jumped and spun, his foot connecting with DarkMan's middle, the punishing crack heard across the field as DarkMan slammed against the flat of a huge rock.   
As Alpha looked to where DarkMan had landed he heard the feet running behind him again and ducked, GGM sailing overhead and stopping a few feet in front of him, pivoting quickly and launching himself at Alpha again, sabre extended...   
*   
"Vile!" X and Zero shouted together as Vile stepped out of the darkness with 3 other new mavericks.   
"Who are these new clowns Vile?" Zero asked with a scowl.   
"These..clowns...are the ones who will finally destroy you." Vile said with a smile.   
Zero snickered.   
"You said that a million times before...what makes these buffoons any better?"   
Vile stepped back as the three Mavericks came into the light...Zero and X gasped.   
There before them stood MegaMan, ProtoMan and Bass.   
"How...how is this possible?" X stuttered.   
Vile chuckled.   
"While we were back in time we had set up a direct link from the past to the new machine that Sigma had created. It allowed the machine to create reploids in mere hours from basic layouts and plans that we sent to it. Hence when we went to wily we asked for all the data on Megaman Protoman and Bass and sent it to our machine. Thus creating these perfect clones of the heroes of old..."   
Vile laughed again.   
"It's just too perfect! Now you'll meet your end at the hands of the very ones you killed in the past!"   
The three reploids stood ready, their eyes gleaming red.   
  
GGM and Zero stood across from each other, staring each other down across the dusty, jagged battlefield. A small gust creating clouds of dirt that crawled along the floor as the two warriors stood silently, calmly, each waiting for the others move.   
GGM moved first...going into a full sprint he rolled foward and pushed off of his feet straight up into a ferocious uppercut.   
Alpha Zero was punched right under the chin and went flying high into the air, GGM took aim and was ready to fire when suddenly a blast of plasma came down from Zero.   
QuickMan and ElecMan took target, but Alpha had noticed and shaking his head he backflipped and landed roughly, turning to quick and ElecMan he unsheathed his sabre ready to slice through the both of them.   
*   
X and Zero stared down the three horribly similar reploids.   
"I can't believe it...they look so similar!" X said slowly..still not able to believe it.   
Vile laughed and stepped back into the shadows after giving one last command.   
"Destroy them!"   
The Omega team smirked as their eyes glowed red...X and Zero unsheathing their sabres.   
"X...can we really do this? Can we really kill these heroes twice?" Zero asked, slightly worried.   
X snarled.   
"These aren't the heroes we met back then...these are Mavericks just like any other maverick, and they'll be dealt as such!"   
X leaped towards Omegaman and slashed at his chest quickly.   
Omegaman leapt back and held out his buster, straight at X's head while Omega Proto and Omega Bass both ran towards Zero at top speed.   
Omegaman fired and X spun out of the way, slicing the plasma blast in half before firing his own blast at Omega Megaman.   
~Damn...this is going to be harder than I thought...~   
*   
Zero saw Omega Proto and Bass running and growled slightly, Proto firing a blast at him while bass leapt into the air and came rocketing down in a powerful downward kick.   
Zero rolled out of the way of the blast as Bass' powerful kick put a hole in the ground about 3 feet deep. Zero fired a blast at both Omega Proto and Bass and then followed up by rolling forward and jumping, spinning around sending waves of energy down onto them from his sabre.   
Bass and Proto dashed off in opposite directions.   
~Damn!~ He thought as they leapt up towards him and each brought their knees into his stomach and, as if controlled by a single being, slammed the back of his neck with both fists simultaneously as Zero plummeted into the ground.   
*   
X heard a crash nearby as Omegaman dodged his blast...running towards him with gleaming red eyes Megaman smiled and threw his fist forward, punching X in the face he sent him reeling backwards, dropping his sabre as Omegaman continued to pursue him, going into a slide to try and kick X while he was down.   
X saw Omegaman coming and rolled back quickly, pushing off one hand into a handspring he landed on one knee and charged at Omegaman head first and slammed him in the face...holding out his hands he used Omegaman's shoulders as supports for a frontflip over Omegaman to get behind him and throw a devastating kick to Omegaman's back, sending him rolling fowards sloppily.   
*   
Zero grimaced and looked up, seeing that Omega Proto and Bass were charging up their weapons he leapt out of the way as quickly as he could before the two searing blasts tore into the hole he was lying in seconds before.   
The blast threw Zero forward as he rolled and leapt into the air, turning he closed his eyes and called forward his Raijigenki attack...his sword growing longer and becoming like a long bolt of lightning as he struck towards Omega Proto and Omega Bass, striking both of them causing to backflip and fall to the ground sloppily...Omega Proto popping a joint on his leg out of place.   
*   
X watched omegaman roll forward and turn, grimacing.   
~That last one hurt...I can tell...~ X smiled lightly   
X ran and picked up his sabre again and threw it at Omegaman like a throwing knife...a really big throwing knife.   
Omegaman sidestepped quickly and grabbed the hilt in mid air, throwing it back to X with 10 times as much force and speed.   
X tried to dodge it but it tore through his upper left arm, almost removing it completely as he howled in pain.   
*   
Zero looked to X snarled...turning back to Omega Proto and Omega Bass...but noticed immediately that Omega Bass was nowhere to be found...quickly he turned to see a huge blast coming as he rolled out of the way the blast caught his right leg, damaging it severely as he landed near X...the Omegas standing over them...chuckling.   
Vile's voice could be heard from the shadows.   
"Now finish them off boys!"   
  
~It can't end like this...~ X thought sadly...   
~I won't let it...~   
X closed his eyes...realizing what he must do, or try to do...it was risky...but they had no choice.   
"Zero..." he muttered softly.   
"What is it...?" Zero asked lightly...defeated both spiritually and physically.   
"We have to try the Rakouhoha Strike...it's our last chance..."   
Zero's eyes widened slightly.   
"We haven't even tested it in combat yet...are you willing to take the risk?"   
X sighed.   
"What's the alternative?"   
Zero nodded slightly in agreement.   
"Alright then...let's do it!"   
The two forced themselves to their feet and closed their eyes...auras blazing silently around them as they powered up for their Giga Attacks.   
The energies violently flew around the two entities, the aura growing larger and larger...suddenly the two opened their eyes.   
"RAKOUHOHA..." Zero started in a loud voice.   
"STRIKE!" X shouted as suddenly the two became one large ball of energy and it exploded outwards, completely incinerating Omegaman, Omega Bass and Omega Protoman...and leaving Vile severely damaged as the wave of energy tore through them effortlessly...the energy finally dissipating before the two fell to their knees...exhausted from the massive output of energy.   
"It..worked..." X gasped.   
"Yeah..." Zero panted softly as he fell over...X following suit.   
*   
Cossack sat in his lab...getting the readings off of GGM, Dark, Elec, Quick, Metal and ShadowMan...as well as this insanely powerful new robot...Alpha Zero.   
"Amazing..." Cossack said quietly...as Kalinka walked past his doorway.   
Kalinka was curious, so she walked in slowly...being ever so quiet before putting her hands down on her father's shoulders and yelling.   
"HI!"   
Cossack jumped a good three feet in the air...missing his chair he fell over.   
"Oops..." Kalinka said softly.   
"Kalinka...what are you doing?" Cossack asked, trying not to lose his temper.   
"Sorry dad...I was just wondering what you were so fascinated with..."   
Cossack got up slowly...dusting himself off he looked back to his information screen.   
"This fight...this new robot is making GGM's buddies look like a bunch of cherry cookie clowns...only real fight for that new guy out there is GGM...and even he might not make it..."   
Cossack stood slowly...turning away he walked towards the hallway and headed towards his main lab room.   
Kalinka followed behind carefully.   
"I think that they'll need a little more help..." Cossack said softly.   
Cossack entered his main room, walking up to one of his guarded closets he scanned his handprint, followed by a retinal scan and finally a voice scan.   
"Please input vocal password..." the computer stated dully.   
"The time has come..." Cossack said as the closet opened slowly...revealing a small box, no bigger than one's palm.   
He took it out slowly...then called for BEAT.   
The bird came down quickly.   
"Beat...I want you to bring this to GGM and the others...tell them that Cossack wishes them the best...now go!"   
The bird acknowledged and flew out quickly.   
"I just hope that Beat makes it...or else we're all doomed..."   
*   
Quick and ElecMan leapt back, their stomachs being slightly sliced by the slash they both snarled and leapt off in different directions as GGM came back into play.   
GGM brought his sabre down towards Alpha's head and as Alpha blocked it from above GGM threw out his foot, kicking Alpha hard in the stomach causing him to double over before GGM brought his elbow up and slammed Alpha in the back of the neck with his elbow, sending him to the ground.   
Alpha reached out and grabbed GGM's foot, throwing with all his might GGM slammed against a nearby rock as Alpha followed up by throwing his sabre like a dagger at GGM...it penetrated his shoulder and practically nailed him into the rock.   
GGM winced...seeing Alpha approaching but he couldn't do much to get down from the rock.   
Alpha smiled and punched GGM in the stomach, hard.   
GGM closed his eyes...taking the hit he grimaced.   
"This is going to be fun..." Alpha said with a dark smile, throwing punch after punch, kick after kick, punishing GGM with his every hit.   
Dark, Elec, Quick, Shadow and MetalMan were each at different points on the field...when suddenly ElecMan noticed something.   
"Hey...look!"   
Darkman took a good look.   
"It's...BEAT?"   
  
BEAT flew quickly and dropped the small box into Elecman's hands.   
~What the?~ Elecman thought.   
BEAT flew back around and gave an audio playback from Dr. Cossack.   
"To whomever this may concern, these chips are my greatest creations...they will help you defeat this monster who has come from, as it seems, the depths of hell..."   
Elecman looked at the chips, then to his brothers, and finally to GGM who was being mercilessly beaten by Alpha Zero.   
He finally made up his mind, installing the chip into his arm he motioned for the others to come.   
"DarkMan! QuickMan! ShadowMan! MetalMan!" he called as they each came to him.   
"These are from cossack...they'll make your buster 10 times stronger! And help us take down that freak!"   
The brothers all cheered as they installed the chips and stood now, in a line of revived spirits staring straight towards Alpha Zero.   
The five charged at the same time, DarkMan in the middle, ShadowMan and Metal to his left, Quick and Elec to his right, Shadow and Metal went off to the left as Quick and Elec ran off to the right, Dark went straight for Alpha and grabbed him by the back of his neck, throwing him across the rocky battlefield he turned and pulled the sabre out of GGM's shoulder, handing him the final chip to upgrade his buster.   
GGM took it reluctantly and installed it into his arm...the power surging through his broken, battered body he smiled.   
Shadow and Quick made the next go around towards Alpha Zero...both of them sliding towards the fallen body of Alpha Zero in attempt to kick him while he was down Alpha flipped up into a solid stance as he saw the two sliding towards him he jumped up and backflipped, firing a blast at Quick first and then Shadow...strafing quickly.   
Quick rolled out of the way and loosed a massive ball of plasma towards the strafing Alpha Zero...while Shadow simply leapt into the air over the blast and flipped forward in Mid-air...seeing something in the distance...a cave...   
Landing on one knee he signaled to his brothers that they should lead Alpha towards the Cave.   
Elec and Metal charged towards Alpha next...GGM bringing in the rear after he picked up the sabre that Alpha had impaled him with and after Elec and Metal had faked him out GGM ran the sabre through Alpha's stomach, spun and threw Alpha into the distance, leaving a hole in his stomach unit. Alpha rolled a few times and got up onto one knee...grimacing.   
~Those fools...they don't know who they are messing with!~ he convinced himself as he stood, removing his backup sabre from behind his right leg he watched the oncoming attack grow closer and closer.   
Quick and Shadow came again, with DarkMan bringing up the rear this time...Alpha Zero waited until Quick was close enough, and then spun around, driving the sabre towards his right leg and then spun again attempting to take off Shadow's head, finally holding out his buster arm to try and blast Dark into oblivion.   
Quick was able to dodge part of the attack, but it still tore through a good deal of his right leg as he winced and rolled to the side Shadow dropping to the floor quickly and going into a frontroll and DarkMan easily avoiding the blast and charging at Alpha, bringing up his shoulder forces Alpha to roll backwards towards the cave even more, Alpha pushing down with his feet into a massive backflip landing on one knee at the entrance of the cave.   
The hole in his stomach and the battered body of a once ruthless killing machine enraged Alpha even more...   
~Those fools will regret they ever toyed with me...~ Alpha growled.   
Alpha turned and headed into the cave...hoping that inside of the cave would be a better strategic position for him.   
GGM caught up with his brothers outside of the cave.   
"He's inside...let's finish this now...and get back to our lives..."   
GGM said with a smile.   
His brothers all agreed as they charged inside.   
Alpha waited for them in the depths of the cave. His eyes gleaming red in the midst of the pitch black darkness...awaiting his next victims eagerly.   
~Yes...come in...come in and meet your end!~   
  
GGM and his brothers ran in...stopping suddenly seeing two red eyes gleaming in the short distance ahead of them.   
"Surrender Alpha, and we may make your death a short, painless one..."   
Alpha chuckled.   
"Fools...you still have no idea what you trifle with..."   
Alpha leapt up...firing a blast of plasma he lit the entire cave up, indeed what he just fired was not a blast at all, but rather a flare.   
"This little feud ends now you pathetic dogs!" Alpha leapt towards them and spun, slashing at Elec and Dark, holding out his buster arm he fired a huge blast at Shadow and Metal and then charged again towards GGM and Quickman...spin slashing at their necks.   
ElecMan was slashed again, this time along the left arm, Dark getting slightly grazed across the chest as Shadow and Metal were thrown off balance from the explosion and quickman leapt back slightly as GGM brought up his sabre to block Alpha's slash and threw his head forward, smashing his head into his again. This time Alpha simply staggered backwards a few steps before charging again, bringing his knee up into GGM's stomach. GGM doubled over as Alpha grabbed him by the neck and picked him up, throwing him aside knocking him into Shadow as they both went rolling backwards sloppily...Elec, Quick, Metal and DarkMan going on the offensive. ElecMan and QuickMan stood back charging their busters as Metal and DarkMan went in for some close combat action...Dark ducking and sweep kicking at alpha while Metal leapt, going for a jump-kick to Alpha's head. Alpha jumped to avoid the sweep and was kicked fiercely in the chest. Grimacing he brought up his hands and gripped Metal's leg, spinning him around and throwing him against the wall behind him, small pieces of Metal's armor coming off as he rebounded off of the wall with a crack and Alpha brought his knee up hard into Metal's neck, then turning his attention towards DarkMan he fired a medium charged blast for the badly positioned robot, who was just finishing the sweep kick.   
Dark turned quickly, firing his own blast into Alpha's but the explosion was two close and damaged him severely, causing him to fly back into the jagged rocks.   
ElecMan and QuickMan dashed towards Alpha...their busters charged and ready for the inevitable attack.   
Alpha snarled and turned to the two oncoming robots, spinning he slashed at the two diagonally from their right shoulder down to the left side of their hip.   
Elec and Quick were both taken by surprise...neither of them really dodging the attack in time they were both seiously damaged.   
Shadow and GGM remained...Shadow becoming enraged at the sight of his brothers strewn around the cave like broken dolls, his face took on that of a fury-possessed demon as he charged at Alpha zero with a blind rage.   
Rule number one of fighting, never go into a blind rage...unfortunately, shadow forgot this and Alpha Zero took this chance to go under his charge and bring his fist hard into the oncoming robot's stomach, causing him to double over before he brought up his left leg, bringing his heel hard onto the back of ShadowMan's neck...sending him to the ground with a groan.   
GGM knew that now it was up to him...when suddenly he saw them all move as one being...each getting up slowly...he looked to Dark slowly.   
"What are you planning on doing?" he asked quietly, not really sure if he wanted the answer.   
"You know what we must do GGM...and you must be the one to seal this cave..."   
GGM looked to Dark, Elec, Quick, Shadow and Metal...not ready to leave his brothers.   
"I couldn't...!"   
Shadow looked to him with a scowl.   
"You must GGM...you have to do it not only for us...but for the rest of the world...if this monster escapes there will be no end to his evil...and there is only one way we can prevent that..."   
GGM balled his fists.   
~There is one thing I can do...but am I willing to take the risk? The virus would certainly help me defeat Alpha...but would I ever return to the way I was?~   
Suddenly an old phrase popped into GGM's mind like a sudden epiffany...a revelation of sorts.   
What is it to a man to gain the whole world...but lose his soul?   
GGM sighed...knowing what he must do...he turned, and ran as fast as he could. Not looking back, the tears blurring his vision as the five robots encircled Alpha Zero...closing their eyes.   
"What are you fools doing?" Alpha demanded viciously.   
  
The five simultaneously lifted up their arm panels...inputting a code they hoped that they would never have to enter.   
Small messages appeared across their retina.   
SELF DESTRUCTION SEQUENCE ACTIVATED...SELF DESTRUCTION WILL BE EXECUTED IN 60...59.   
The robots all knew that they needed to buy themselves valuable time...otherwise the self destruction sequence would be in vain.   
Unfortunately, Alpha quickly caught on to what they were planning and made a mad dash for the exit.   
58...57...56   
Dark, Elec, Shadow, Metal and QuickMan all ran after him...GGM still far ahead of Alpha and the others.   
55...54...53   
Dark and Shadow leapt and frontflipped, landing in front of Alpha they each threw forward a fist, both of their fists slamming into Alpha's head...he took a few steps backwards before shaking it off, growling with determintation he pushed off of his back leg, spinning he slammed both Dark and Shadow across the face, sending them spinning to the floor and barreled on ahead...   
52...51...50   
ElecMan and Quickman made their next efforts, with MetalMan helping with the support, he shot the ceiling just in front of Alpha as the rocks fell in front of him, creating a small blockade about three feet high, Alpha growled at the delay and turned.   
49...48...47   
ElecMan and QuickMan rushed towards him, ElecMan first...still badly wounded from the last encounters he leapt at Alpha with a renewed sense of anger and vengeance.   
46...45...44   
ElecMan jumped and brought his knee towards Alpha's chin. Alpha brought his hands up, under his chin and blocked the knee, pushing down hard on it as suddenly a fist came from in front of him at blinding speed. Quickly he moved his head to the side, the fist whizzing by him as he spun, bringing his elbow to the back of ElecMan's neck, sending him stumbling forwards.   
43...42...41   
Alpha continued on hurriedly towards the light at the end of the cavern...the saying becoming quite literal.   
GGM had already made it outside of the cavern, but saw Alpha running down the cavern towards him, with his five brothers trailing close behind Alpha.   
40...39...38   
QuickMan and DarkMan came from behind Alpha, running as fast as they could with Metal coming along as well they each came in front of Alpha and formed a robot wall in front of him...a determined look in their eyes, they weren't going to let him go...   
37...36...35   
Quick and Dark dashed in an X formation before each pivoted, charging towards Alpha with their fists extended. Alpha saw them coming but wasn't able to do much before the two fists slammed into both sides of his head, stunning him.   
34...33...32   
Alpha grimaced and fell to one knee...Metal running up and kicking him square in the chin Alpha rolled back, his tumbles making small clouds of dust.   
31...30...WARNING! 30 SECONDS LEFT TILL DETONATION!...29   
Alpha screamed with the fury of a hellbound beast...   
Suddenly he smiled...a wild red aura blazing around him...things had gone from bad to worse...and the five robots gathered around Alpha for the final showdown...   
28...27...26...25...24...23...22..21...20...19...18...   
Seconds became hours as the five robots stared down this machine of destruction...GGM still not mustering the strength to close the doors of death upon his brethren, his buster arm shaking as he tried to take aim above the cavern entrance.   
17...16...15...14...13...12...11...10 WARNING! TEN SECONDS REMAINING!   
"NOW!" DarkMan yelled as the five instantly jumped onto Alpha, pinning him to the floor.   
ShadowMan looked to GGM.   
"FIRE GGM! CLOSE THE CAVE!"   
9...8...7   
GGM stuttered...panicked.   
"I CAN'T!" he yelled...he wasn't ready to send them to their death. He couldn't...   
"DAMMIT GGM! SEAL THE CAVE NOW!" QuickMan yelled.   
6...5...4   
"I WON'T LET YOU DIE THIS WAY!" GGM still wasn't ready to say goodbye...   
3...2...1   
Finally a blood curdling scream from ElecMan pierced GGM's soul.   
"YOU HAVE TO DO IT! SEAL THE CAVERN NOW! FOR EVERYONE ON EARTH...YOU MUST!"   
GGM screamed, his eyes wet with tears as he blasted just above the cavern entrance.   
0   
The rocks came down just as the five gigantic blasts created an earthquake that rocked GGM to his knees...giving him a chance to scream a mournful cry to the heavens...he was left alone.   
A lone warrior...left in a land filled with his own shadows...GGM threw his fists into the ground as he lamented the death of his brothers...the stress finally taking its toll as he passed out...   
EPILOGUE   
  
X and Zero awoke groggily to see the strewn bodies of the Omega team...and that vile had left. Obviously he was severely damaged...many large pieces of his armor still lie about as X and Zero struggled to their feet.   
X and Zero looked around to the ruined Hunters HQ...when suddenly out stepped Alia and Signas.   
"ALIA! SIGNAS!" X cried and ran towards them, Zero following afterwards.   
Signas smiled.   
"Hello X...you have done marvelously...unfortunately...we don't have much time to rest...Sigma is at it again...   
Zero sighed and turned away.   
X looked to Zero with a look of concern, his eyes growing soft.   
"What's the matter Zero?"   
Zero turned back to X.   
"When will we be able to stop fighting? I'm so tired of fighting...and I come to discover that it's all I was built for...that monster back there...that was me...and what if I became like that again? Would you..."   
X grimaced and took Zero firmly by the shoulders.   
"Listen to me Zero...I won't ever let it get that way...I promise! You and I will always be partners! Comrades...until the end! Understand?"   
Zero smiled...greatly encouraged by X's words.   
"Yes...thank you X."   
Zero and X turned to Signas...awaiting their next orders.   
*   
GGM finally opened his eyes...they were still blurred from the crying he had done, as he looked up and saw the cavern that was caved in, he remembered that it wasn't a dream, and winced.   
Slowly he stood and walked over to the cave...gently putting his hand on the rock wall.   
"Goodbye my brothers...surely your sacrifice has saved more lives than you could possibly imagine...but in the process...I have been left alone..."   
GGM balled his free hand into a fist, and slammed the rock wall with it as hard as he could, the rock cracking slightly.   
GGM sighed.   
~I need to stop...and think for a minute...I can't let all this emotion drive me insane...~   
GGM took a few steps back and turned away from the cavern.   
He began walking...thinking maybe it would ease his mind.   
He walked and walked and walked...and never stopped. 


End file.
